


Diamond Cosmetics

by thecelery



Category: Big Time Rush
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Humor, F/F, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Inspired by..., M/M, Romantic Comedy, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-08
Updated: 2012-09-08
Packaged: 2017-11-13 19:32:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/506958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecelery/pseuds/thecelery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the president of Brooke Diamond Cosmetics dies in a mysterious accident, James Diamond (son of Edward and Brooke Diamond) inherits the position with little experience to run the company. His father hires a plucky, if somewhat awkward, assistant for his son but the two become fast friends, finding ways to save the company, their relationship blossoming along the way. (loosely based on Ugly Betty)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Backup Flan

**Author's Note:**

> Year One

Carlos inhales the scent of his favorite food as he walks down the steps from his bedroom to the kitchen, eagerly awaiting a plate of his dad’s famous chorizo and eggs and homemade flour tortillas.

He moves towards the kitchen, the scent of his favorite meal luring him. “Good morning, Papi.” He gives his father a hug, a quick smile, and inhales the smell of the chorizo and eggs.

“Here you go, mijo.” Returning the smile with a warm one of his own, his dad hands over a plate piled high with his breakfast, and a couple of warm tortillas.

“Thank you,” he says, drawing out the A as he sits down to eat. He takes a few bites before looking around as if something’s missing. “Dad, where’s Elena?” he asks, noticing his sister is conspicuously missing from breakfast.

“I don’t think she’s up yet.”

“What?!” Carlos exclaims, pushing his chair out so fast that it collapses to the floor beneath him. He anxiously checks his watch and his dad shoots him a stern look. “Sorry, Papi. It’s just that she promised she’d take me into the city to go job hunting. Again.” He picks up the chair and sits back down, eating his food as quickly as possible then slowing down. Having a case of indigestion and burping throughout a job search wouldn’t be good etiquette, he thinks.

“Well, go wake her up. AH. But finish your food first. Don’t want it getting cold, do you?” Horacio says as he stirs the next serving of eggs with a spatula and flips the food with a flourish, eliciting a clap from his youngest son.

“Can’t a girl get some sleep around here?” Elena says as she groggily walks into the kitchen. “Oooh, chorizo con huevo. Yum. Hey, squirt. We going job hunting again?”

“Yeah,” Carlos says with an exasperated sigh, “and don’t call me that. You know I hate it.”

“Aww, but you’re so _little_ ,” Elena says and musses his hair, then wipes her hand on a kitchen towel. “You use way too much hair gel, by the way,” she tells her brother who rolls his eyes at her hairdo advice. Carlos definitely isn’t the most fashionable person in his family, and he admits that he could use a new look but he’s not too concerned about it. His goal at the moment is to get a job, and a good one at that. Carlos graduated top of his class with honors. He’s a world class accountant as far as he’s concerned, but the rest of the job world doesn’t seem to think the same. Rejection after rejection, he goes into the city every couple of days to try and find someone willing to hire him. He guesses it has to do with his attire. After all, most big city types wear expensive suits and stylish accessories, not polyester blazers and bright red, thick-rimmed glasses, not to mention adult braces.

“Yeah, well,” he retorts, “at least I don’t cake on my makeup.”

Elena playfully punches his arm and tells him to shut up, so he responds by throwing a small piece of tortilla at her.

“Hey!” she exclaims and Horacio rolls his eyes at his children, who are still little kids at heart in his mind.

“Hurry up and eat,” Carlos tells his sister as he gets up to wash his plate in the kitchen sink.

“Wow, okay,” Elena replies, “someone’s got an attitude today.”

Carlos sighs as he washes the last bit of grease off of his plate. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired, you know? I’ve been looking for a job for months now and not _one_ firm has called me back. Do you think it’s ‘cause I’m ugly?”

Horacio looks back at his son dramatically. “Hey, you are _not_ ugly, son.”

Elena remains uncomfortably silent. She doesn’t think her brother is necessarily _ugly_ but he’s certainly no male model. He wears clashing patterns and colors on sweaters with moth holes and his teeth are so metallic that they shine in the sun and not in a good way. He’s short and a little bit pudgy, which she thinks is endearingly cute, but she’s realistic about the way the outside world perceives him, and she knows it’s not very welcoming sometimes. Elena knows for a fact that her brother makes up in personality what he lacks in fashion sense. He’s kind and selfless, sometimes to a fault, and fiercely loyal to his friends and family, not to mention incredibly intelligent.

“Maybe you should let me give you a makeover then,” she says and Carlos rolls his eyes at her.

“I don’t think so,” he replies. “Besides, I’ve still got these dumb braces on. Unless you’re gonna magically fix my teeth, I doubt I’ll look any better. Anyway, enough of that. Let’s get going, yeah?”

“You’re the boss.”

“See you later, Papi!” they both call out before grabbing their jackets and heading out the door and Horacio stares at the dirty plate his daughter leaves behind.

The cold winter wind hits their faces as they walk down the steps of their house. Minnesota is not a very welcoming place to be outside of in the middle of winter. Carlos rubs his hands together briskly in a futile attempt to warm them up. His sister cups her own hands around her mouth and exhales into them as they walk to the nearest bus stop.

“Ah, public transportation is such a bitch to take in the winter,” Elena says and Carlos nudges her. “Oh, stop. Don’t be such a prude.”

“I’m not a prude,” he says.

“Oh, right,” Elena replies. “I forgot about your boyfriend.”

Carlos’ boyfriend, Kyle, is possibly more awkward than he is and that’s quite an accomplishment. He’s dull and pasty and needy but he really likes Carlos so he’s not all that bad. He works at the neighborhood hardware store, “scoring” discounts and boxes full of free nails for Carlos and his family. Carlos appreciates the gifts but he has so many boxes of them in the pantry that the family is almost running out of room to put their cereal.  Horacio accepts them gracefully, stocking them away and saying they never know when they’ll be needed to which Carlos somewhat agrees.

“Yeah, Kyle,” Carlos sighs.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just…”

“Just what?” Elena asks.

“It’s just that I feel like he’s too clingy, you know? But I really love him and I don’t know. We’re pretty serious, I guess. I don’t wanna throw that all away just ‘cause I feel a little suffocated.”

Elena worries that Kyle is the only guy her brother will ever be able to get, so she encourages Carlos to stay with him. She knows he is indeed a little clingy but she figures it’s because he’s scared of losing her brother and being unable to get anyone else and she genuinely feels bad for the guy. So she tells Carlos it’ll be worth it in the end.

“Yeah, that’s true. Besides, I hear he might be planning a little something,” she says, raising both her eyebrows.

“Planning something?” Carlos asks her with a slightly confused look on his face. “Like…a party or what?”

“Like maybe possibly some sort of _engagement_ ,” she replies, putting emphasis on the last word.

Carlos’ eyes go wide in shock and his mouth stays open for a few moments before the cold hits his throat and he begins to cough hard.

“You okay?” Elena asks and lightly hits his back just in case her brother’s choking on his spit.

“Yeah,” Carlos says between coughs, his voice ragged and raspy. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just. What? Did he tell you and Papi he was gonna propose to me or something?”

“No,” Elena replies, “but I overheard him talking on the phone the last time he was over and he said he was finally gonna ‘go for it’, so I think he might actually ask Papi for your hand in marriage.”

Carlos isn’t one hundred percent sure that those are Kyle’s intentions. Still, there’s a little bit of hope in him that this could be it, that his relationship is finally coming full-circle and that someone loves him enough to want to spend the rest of their life with him. Suddenly, all thoughts of Kyle being clingy and boring are out the window, and he begins to envision a quiet suburban life with his future husband.

“Hey, come on,” Elena says as she shoves Carlos out of his daydream and up onto the steps of the bus.

The two pay their fare and sit down, thankful for the heat of the bus. Carlos feels the blood return to his toes as he stares out the window and thinks of Kyle’s possible proposal, smiling.

Carlos’ job search goes as expected. “You’re very highly qualified Mister García. Unfortunately…” He’s memorized every apology speech ever given and he nods along, tuning out the words, which at this point have sort of lost their sting. Carlos is used to rejection, though. He was never very popular in school and he had one or two friends through his entire school career. Still, he had hoped that that past wouldn’t follow him through his adult life, but at this point it seemed that it was quite possibly the only life he’d ever know.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Elena says as she wraps a comforting arm around his shoulders. “Come on; let’s go get some hot chocolate!” Carlos smiles and nods agreeably. A hot chocolate and a couple of doughnuts sound very good right about now.

 

“Hey, Papi,” Carlos and Elena call out as they get home.

“How’d it go?” Horacio asks and Carlos has to do nothing more than give him a look that says it all. “I’m sorry, mijo.”

“It’s okay,” Carlos says with a resigned sigh. “I guess I’ll just try again on Friday.”

“Well, I made some flan. Maybe that’ll cheer you up.”

Carlos smiles at his father. Sometimes he forgets how lucky he is to have a loving family despite all the ups and downs life has thrown at them. He and his sister had lost their mother a few years back and Horacio had taken it very hard, as expected but the siblings banded together and helped their father out of his slump. Likewise, Elena and Horacio both helped Carlos when he was struggling with his sexuality just a couple of years later. He wasn’t sure they’d be accepting so he was pleasantly surprised when they both kissed his cheek and declared that they weren’t about to lose another member of the García clan, especially not because of Carlos’ sexual orientation. That’s why Carlos is smiling now: because of the family he has. He’s thankful and lucky and about to indulge in a full pan of his dad’s delicious flan. Life’s good.

He’s halfway through a bite when he hears the doorbell ring. Elena offers to get the door and he chews and swallows the flan in his mouth as quickly as possible, thanking the dessert gods that this particular sweet melts easily.

“Carlos, it’s Kyle,” Elena calls from the door and the boy jumps out of his chair and practically floats his way to the front door.

“Hi, Kyle,” he smiles and wraps his boyfriend in a tight hug, throwing his arms around the slightly taller man’s neck.

“Hey, Carlos,” Kyle replies, looking a little less enthusiastic than his boyfriend does. “Can we talk?”

“Sure,” Carlos says, all shiny, metallic smiles and thumbs up as he looks back at his sister. “What’s up?”

“I don’t really know how to say this, Carlos,” Kyle says, exhaling deeply, “but I kinda…met someone else.”

Carlos can almost feel the wind being knocked right out him, but he manages to let out a breath long enough to ask a question. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Kyle replies apologetically. “It’s just…I really like her and I think-“

“Her?!” Carlos exclaims. “You’re dumping me for a _woman_?” For a moment he wonders if he’s that repulsive that he’s turned his boyfriend straight, then shakes his head at how ridiculous the thought is.

“Look, I’ve been very confused about my sexuality, you know that. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted but then I found Jenna and I-“

“Jenna? As in Jenna Gonzalez?”

“Yes, Jenna Gonzalez. I know you two have a bad history together, it’s just…we met, we hit it off, and it just snowballed from there. You know, I did consider your feelings, okay?” Kyle says, taking Carlos’ chin between his thumb and forefinger so that their eyes would meet once again. Carlos can only stand to look at Kyle for so long before he breaks down in tears, burying his face in his hands and sobbing quietly.

Kyle looks down at Carlos and sighs, knowing he’s not just heartbroken but angry that he left him for the girl who made his life a living hell in high school and the guilt starts to eat away at him.

“Carlos, we can talk about this? Please?”

Carlos stops sobbing and lifts his head back up, taking his glasses off and wiping away the tears from his eyes and face. He looks at Kyle and shakes his head. “I don’t think there’s anything to talk about here, Kyle. You cheated on me! Do you think I’m just gonna forget that happened and pretend everything’s just peachy between us? We have nothing to talk about, just go.”

“But Carlos-“

“Just go!” he repeats, his voice now raised to a level the entire neighborhood can hear.

At that, Kyle picks up his jacket and leaves, taking one last glance at Carlos as he walks away from the front steps of the Garcías’ house.

“What happened?” Elena asks as Carlos somberly walks back into the house. “I heard you yelling. Is everything okay?”

Carlos stands still for a few seconds, staring off into space before answering. “I got dumped.” His voice is deadpan, dulled with the sting of heartache and anger.

Elena gasps and Horacio offers a sympathetic shoulder squeeze.

“So,” his sister asks, “what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna get that bitch Jenna back for stealing your man?”

Carlos snaps out of his trance and he looks his sister directly in the eye. “No. I’m just gonna work harder to get what I want,” he says and makes his way toward the family’s computer room.

 


	2. Foundation: For a Better Life

That’s typical Carlos as far as Elena’s concerned. Never one to let life’s little disappointments get to him, he sits down at the computer that night, printing several copies of his resume and looking up companies who are hiring in the area. He’s done with superficiality, he tells Elena and his father as he types away at the computer. So he searches all night, stopping only to stuff envelopes and seal them until his tongue is dry. In the morning, he walks to the post office, sending a total of twenty copies of his resume to various companies in the Minneapolis area.

“If I don’t get a job from this then I give up,” he tells Elena as she wakes up that morning. “But I have a good feeling about this one.”

“That’s nice,” she says, still groggy from sleep. “Go get some sleep, though, Squirt.”

Carlos doesn’t object to the nickname this time. He’s too tired to care and he’s ready to pull the blankets over his head to stop the sunlight from interrupting his sleep this time.

 

A few days later, he’s eating dinner when a call comes in. Carlos grabs the handset from the base on the kitchen counter and answers to someone from a diamond something or other, confused that a jewelry company is calling when he’s sure he didn’t submit a resume to any.

“Hello? Yes, this is Carlos. Um…yeah sure, I can come in. Tomorrow? Yes, sure. Absolutely. Uh-huh. Okay. Thank you so much!” He hangs up and jumps in place excitedly.

“Who was it?” Elena asks.

“I don’t know,” he replies, shrugging dramatically. “But I don’t care cause I got an interview tomorrow!”

Elena shrieks and stands up from her chair, joining hands with her brother and jumping up and down in excitement.

“What’s with the screaming?” Horacio asks from the kitchen doorway.

“I got a job interview!” Carlos yells and his father pulls him in a tight congratulatory hug.

“Congratulations, mijo! I know you’re gonna nail it,” he says and pulls his son’s head forward, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

 

The next day, Carlos practically runs out of his house and onto the bus, which he’s fortunate enough to catch right as it pulls up to his stop. He’s almost vibrating with excitement, shuffling his legs as he sits and accidentally kicking a man who’s making his way toward the back. He apologizes and shifts his legs so that they’re tucked away beneath his seat and decides to twiddle his thumbs and chew on his lip instead. He’s sure people won’t get hurt that way…he thinks. He’s a bit clumsy, both physically and in his manner of speaking, a slight stutter accenting his words every now and then. He hopes it doesn’t show up during his interview.

Once he arrives in front of the Diamond building, he looks up, astonished at the high-rise. He’s passed by it before, but he’s never really taken in its magnitude. He takes a deep breath before pushing past the revolving doors and walks up to the reception desk, signing in and heading up the elevator to the seventeenth floor. Carlos steps off of the elevator to find a blindingly bright white workplace. The walls, floors, and ceilings are white, as is most of the furniture in the place, save for a few accents of light blue scattered throughout. On some shelves there are decorations placed and he notices a few familiar logos on the walls. He’s definitely in the wrong place, he thinks as he realizes he’s stepped into a cosmetics company. He approaches a big reception desk, stepping face to face with a tall, blond, lanky man whose face is already giving him the chills.

“Hey,” he says and Carlos finds it slightly odd and unprofessional. “You the before?”

“What?” Carlos asks, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“Like the before and after, right?” the blond explains. “For the photo shoot?”

“Oh!” Carlos exclaims. “No, no. I…I’m here for an interview.”

The man in front of him scoffs before pulling out a translucent light blue clipboard with a pen and asking him to sign in. “Here,” he says coldly and points in the general direction of an office.

“C-can you make sure Mister Wright knows I’m here? I don’t wanna just show up unannounced,” Carlos asks.

“Oh. Right, yeah. Of course,” the blond answers and dials the office. “Mister Wright, some guy named Carlo is here to see you.” He sighs, clearly annoyed at whatever answer his boss had given him and hangs up the phone before stepping out from behind the desk. “Come on,” he tells Carlos and ushers him to his side by waving his hand.

Carlos walks shyly next to the tall man, who’s wearing a deep blue button down shirt with a black, pinstriped vest and black pants. Carlos looks at his profile, particularly impressed with the prominence of the man’s nose and piercing green eyes.

“I’m Kendall,” the man rolls his eyes as he notices Carlos’ is staring at him.

“Oh. Hi, Kendall,” Carlos replies. “Nice to meet you!”

“Yeah…” the receptionist replies before knocking on Miles Wright’s door and letting Carlos in. “Good luck in there,” he says with a smirk then walks away, one hand on his hip as he struts down the corridor like he owns the place. Carlos doesn’t think that went particularly well, but he’s not here to impress receptionists.

“Carlos,” Miles calls out, “come in. Take a seat. Tell me about yourself.”

“W-well,” he stutters, and _shit it’s starting already_ , he thinks, “I’m um. I’m Carlos, obviously. I just graduated college four months ago. I’m fluent in Spanish and I speak a bit of Italian.”

“Oh?” Miles says, clearly impressed at this tidbit. “Say something then.”

“Um,” Carlos thinks and racks his brain for an appropriate phrase, “ _Piacere di conoscerla_. That means ‘pleased to meet you’.”

“You sure?” Miles asks sternly. “I just wanna make sure you’re not insulting me.”

“Oh. No. No no. I would  never- No. Absolutely not.”

“It’s okay,” Wright says as he laughs loudly. “I’m just playing with you, son.”

Carlos sighs in relief and laughs loudly and exaggeratedly along with Miles Wright as a look of worry takes over his face before he stops laughing suddenly and continues talking about his qualifications. “I also graduated top of my class in accounting so I’m really good with numbers and I’d be more than happy to be your accountant.”

Wright grimaces and Carlos tilts his head in confusion. “I’m- I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“Not…particularly, but the only position we have available is for a secretary.”

“Oh. Um…that’s…that’s fine, I guess,” he says with an air of disappointment. “I mean I think I’m a little bit overqualified but I’ve been looking for a job for so long.” He stops himself then, knowing he’d just blown his chance by being arrogant and he squeezes his temples with his hand, embarrassed.

A knock on the door alarms him and he turns around to see a tall man with sandy blond hair. He looks important by the way Miles stands up to greet him, so he does the same and wonders who he is.

“Good morning, Mr. Diamond,” Miles says and suddenly Carlos is aware of who he is.

“Call me Edward, Miles,” he replies before looking down at Carlos and making a face that suggests he’s not entirely fond of his attire. Considering the entire floor is stark white, Carlos’ mint green sweater and pink-and-orange-striped bow tie stand out just a bit. “Who’s this?”

“Hi,” Carlos says, noticing that he barely comes up to Mr. Diamond’s chest level, “I’m Carlos. Carlos García. I’m here for a job,” he says and extends his arm out to shake the taller man’s hand.

“A job?” Mr. Diamond asks. “Like what? Replacing a light fixture or…?”

Carlos looks at Edward, slightly offended but he figures his attire might be giving off the impression that he’s here to do dirty work instead of office work. “Oh, um, no,” he replies. “I’m applying for a job.”

“Oh,” Edward responds, slightly surprised. “Miles, have you found anyone to replace my son’s assistant yet?”

“N-no, not yet, Edward. I’ve been looking but no one seems to be very qualified.”

“Hmm,” he replies, and watches Carlos intently for a few seconds , “how about this one?”

Carlos’ eyes go wide and he’s clearly taken aback by the suggestion. First they want him as a secretary and now an assistant to some snotty kid? He thinks about fleeing in terror at the spot, but Edward places a strong hand on his shoulder, practically pinning him back down in the chair in which he’d been sitting.

“Him?” Miles replies. “I don’t know if he’s the right _type_ to be James’ assistant.”

“Nonsense,” Edward says. “He’s perfect for the job. Come back tomorrow to fill out your papers. You’re the president’s newest assistant.”

“P-p-pre-president?” Carlos stutters. “Like of the company?”

“Well, it’s not the President of the United States, but it’s pretty good, I think.”

“No, it’s-it’s fine. I’m just…surprised is all,” Carlos says. Any calm and cool he’s collected has vanished and he’s not sure why but he’s even more nervous than he was before. Maybe it’s because he isn’t sure working at a cosmetics company is the best idea, nor is it the best environment for a guy like him to be in. After all, the most he knows about beauty products is the gel he puts in his hair every morning; that and Elena’s giant boxes of makeup, which he has no idea how to use or what they do.

“Kendall,” Edward says as he and Carlos approach the blond’s desk, “show this kid around the office. He’s James’ new assistant.”

Kendall’s mouth drops open and his green eyes go wide. He blinks rapidly several times and looks Carlos up and down threateningly. “Sure thing, Mister Diamond,” he replies with a phony smile. “So you got the job you were looking for, huh?” he asks a clearly nervous Carlos.

“Not really,” he replies and shrinks down some more, making Kendall appear even taller than he had when they first met earlier in the morning.

“Oh. Well where have you worked before that you think you’re _too important_ to be a presidential assistant?”

“I haven’t really ever had a real job before,” Carlos answers almost inaudibly and Kendall stops them both dead in their tracks.

“I’m sorry?”

“I mean other than, like, sweeping up hair at the neighborhood salon and stuff, I’ve never done anything too important. Not as important as this, at least,” Carlos explains and he takes a long look around the incredibly modern and fashionable office, still unable to believe this is his new workplace.

“Huh. That’s weird. I’ve been here a couple of years and they told me I didn’t have enough experience to be James’ assistant. Speaking of James, you should meet him. He’s in a meeting right now, so you should go in and introduce your… _bright_ self,” Kendall says with a grin and pushes Carlos toward the boardroom. “See ya later, Carl!”

Carlos is confused as he heads toward the dimly lit, glass-walled room and just as he thinks he’s got the door, he smashes face first into one of the transparent walls.

“Are you okay?” a voice calls out as he opens the real door. He looks up to see a sharply dressed young man looking down at him. He’s wearing a blue shirt and light grey suit and his shiny brown hair is combed back in a perfectly done hairstyle. His hazel eyes sparkle in the lights above him. This must be James, he thinks to himself, and he feels overwhelmed with the handsomeness of his new boss, or maybe smashing into the glass has given him a concussion; he’s not sure.

“Yeah, sorry,” Carlos replies after standing up and readjusting his glasses. He clumsily makes his way to a bench near a dark corner of the room, eliciting dirty looks from the rest of the people as he tries to take a seat fast enough so that he’s no longer the center of attention.

“Uh, anyway, like I was saying,” James continues, “I hate that I’m here under such terrible circumstances but hopefully we can make the best of this meeting and pull together and make our new marketing campaign awesome.” He puts emphasis on the last word and gives his employees a double thumbs-up, glancing in Carlos’ direction as he tries to stifle a laugh at his expense.

“Good morning, Jimmy!” a voice calls out from the door and everyone in the boardroom instantly whips their heads around to look in the direction of the sound. Carlos looks around at everyone and notices they’ve given their full attention to the intrusion. He looks toward the door and sees a man standing there. White hair, devilish grin and arms spread open in a pose that demands attention from anyone within a three mile radius of the building. Carlos isn’t sure who this mysterious man is, but judging by the way the rest of the employees are looking to him with some sort of reverence, he figures he’s an important part of the company.

“Uh, hi Griffin,” James answers. “It’s James, actually.”

“I’m sorry?” Griffin replies.

“Nobody calls me Jimmy anymore. I’m James.”

“Camille,” he yells and a petite brunette emerges from behind him. Carlos can tell she’s nothing but a bundle of nerves, and he gathers that this Griffin character must be terrifying to work with. He’s glad this guy is not his new boss.

“Y-yes, Arthur?” she replies.

“Why didn’t anyone give me a memo not to call him Jimmy? Hmmm?”

“Well, I-“

“That’s what I thought,” he says before she can even start explaining. Carlos looks toward the white-haired man in confusion and thinks he’s a bit strange but with the way things have gone in the short hour he’s been here, _everyone_ in this building seems strange.

“Anyway, James,” Griffin continues, “I think we should talk about our ad in Cosmopolin!”

“I thought we had that covered,” James replies. “I mean they don’t usually put up too much of a fuss on what we do and they give us free range as far as theme goes.”

Carlos watches as James becomes more and more nervous by the minute. He tugs on his tie and clears his throat after every sentence and his cheeks turn a bright shade of pink as they become flushed with embarrassment.  He can tell his new boss isn’t used to running meetings but he’s also not used to being bossed around, either.

“True,” Griffin says, “but that was when we were under Eve’s control. They trusted her. She was a woman of high-class and taste, a trendsetter! And you, young Diamond are no trendsetter.”

James becomes visibly agitated at the power play by Griffin and he snaps back. “Be that as it may, _I_ am in charge now. And we’re going to go ahead with the ideas without reporting to Cosmopolin because, like it or not, _Griffin_ , I’m the new president.”

The employees in the room become uncomfortably silent and some clear their throats in unison. Others check the time on their phones or their high-end watches and some cough to cover the tension that’s settled thickly over them.

“Have it your way, James,” Griffin says and walks up to James, clapping him with both hands on his cheeks. “Meeting dismissed!” Griffin calls out then motions for Camille, who’s seated directly across from Carlos. After eyeing Carlos up and down, she turns around to face her boss and makes a gagging motion with her finger. One by one the rest of the staff files out of the room, still uncomfortable but Carlos swears he hears a few sighs of relief as Griffin leaves the boardroom. James is visibly taken aback at having the reins taken from him in the blink of an eye and Carlos is apprehensive about approaching him in this state, so he waits until the last staff member leaves the room before packing his new papers in his briefcase and leaving the darkened corner of the boardroom. As he comes into the light, James turns around at the same time and gasps, not expecting anyone to still be in the room.

“You scared me,” he says. “What are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you get back to work?”

Carlos walks closer to James until he’s standing a few feet away. He puts out his hand to shake James’ and introduces himself. “Hi. I’m Carlos. Carlos García.”

James shakes his hand and stares at him for a few seconds, taking in his attire. A pink and orange striped bow tie adorns the collar of his purple gingham shirt and a mint green cardigan covers it. His pants are a regular khaki color but they look too long for his short frame and James can make out the frayed bottoms of their legs, stepped on by the dull, brown, seemingly ancient loafers on his feet. Carlos smiles and James can make out the metallic look of his braces, accented with purple bands and his face, framed with thick, red, Wayfarer-style glasses. James thinks the glasses are actually the most stylish thing he has on but only by a very slight margin. “Uh, hi, Carlos,” he says after taking his appearance in. “I’m James. Diamond. My dad owns the company and I’m new here.”

“Oh!” Carlos says, his voice sounding chipper and friendly. “I’m new here, too. I guess we’re gonna work great together, then.”

“To-together?” James stutters.

“Uh huh. I’m your new assistant!”

James’ mouth opens for a bit before he forces a smile but he’s unable to hide the horrified look that’s taken over his face. “Oh, um. That’s…that’s great! Have you met Kendall?”

“Actually…” Carlos starts, but before he can finish, he’s being practically pushed out of the boardroom by James. _Wow, this guy works out_ , he thinks and James lets go of him before asking Kendall to show Carlos around the entire workplace. Kendall scoffs and puts down his issue of _Famous People Weekly_ , removing his headset and sending all phones to voicemail before he exits from behind his shiny blue desk.

“So what do you need to know?” Kendall asks and Carlos can tell he’s not very excited to show him the ropes. “And make it good cause this is the second time today I’ve been asked to show you things,” he says and follows it with a sigh. “They don’t pay me enough for the type of work I do.”

Carlos almost asks exactly what it is he does, since both times he’s come around, Kendall has been doing nothing but sitting and reading, and occasionally being rude to whoever walks by his desk. He says nothing instead and answers his question. “Uh…everything?”

“Oh, specific!” he says, and the two take off down the corridor, making their way past several offices, each one with its own assistant just outside in a stylish cubicle. Carlos grins widely as he notices the neat desk arrangements and gets lost in thought about what kinds of things he wants to bring with him the next day. “Psst, pay attention,” Kendall says and snaps him out of his thoughts. “First thing you gotta know: Griffin. Griffin is all powerful, even though he’s just an investor in the company. He practically runs the place. They may tell you James is in charge but uh-uh. It’s Griffin. Everyone’s afraid of him and for good reason; the guy’s batshit crazy and power hungry. He’ll do _anything_ to get his way and I mean anything.”

Carlos swallows hard at this and wonders if James knows how little power he has in the company. Of course, James is new, so he figures it’ll be some time before the staff starts answering to him instead of Griffin.

“Anyway,” Kendall continues, “the next thing you need to know: James? Not very popular around here. He’s a notorious manwhore. And let me tell you, I should know.”

Carlos looks at Kendall, confused and the blond raises his thick eyebrows suggestively. “Oh, ew. Thanks. I didn’t need to know that.”

Kendall laughs and nudges Carlos with his elbow. “Lighten up, Marcos. Yeah, but we’re kinda close like that,” he says and Carlos notices a sigh escape his mouth and a distant look cross his face. “But enough of that! Let’s talk Eve Winters.”

“Who’s Eve Winters?” Carlos asks and he swears the entire office turns and stares in his direction.

Kendall pinches the bridge of his large nose and takes a deep breath. _It’s gonna be a_ long _day,_ he thinks. “Eve Winters was _the_ pinnacle of cosmetics. She was a trendsetter, a make-up guru, and she never aged a day. People say she had the fountain of youth in a bottle and that’s what made her ageless, but I say she had a really good plastic surgeon. Anyway, this is her,” he says and suddenly they’re face to face with a giant, ten foot mural of the woman herself. She’s dressed in a dark fur coat, dark blonde straight hair framing her face and opaque, mysterious sunglasses covering her eyes. Carlos is a little bit intimidated by the massive homage to the late Miss Winters and he swallows nervously, turning away as he feels that even in death, her eyes follow and a burn a hole through him, judging his taste in work attire. “It’s creeping me out, too. Let’s get outta here,” Kendall says as if reading his mind and they leave for another part of the office. “Anyway, the reason James is so unpopular around here is because this job was just handed to him by his dad. He has hardly _any_ experience and he’s not very smart. After Eve died, everyone just assumed Griffin was going to take over because he’s older and he’s worked for the Diamonds for more than twenty years but no. The job is James’ and very few people are happy about it. Kinda reminds me of me and you,” he says and his somewhat friendly demeanor is gone in an instant, the same snarky attitude Carlos had met earlier in the day replacing it. “Everything else you can find on the map in the lobby. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have phones to _not_ answer. Later, Mario.”

“It’s Car-“ he starts but gives up trying to correct Kendall. He’s clearly not going to make friends today and he vows to come back tomorrow and try to make a better day of it…if his coworkers will let him.


	3. Bad Reception

By the time Carlos gets the full tour, and gossip, from Kendall, he’s already looking forward to going home to his dad’s homecooked meal. As he heads home on the bus, he looks at the paperwork in his hands, the salary being the one thing keeping him from calling in his resignation right away.  Carlos knows that his family could use the extra income, and despite having annoying co-workers and a cold and distant boss, he knows that if he applies himself enough, he may just be able to survive a year or two at Diamond. It’s not an ideal job for him; he’s always dreamed of bigger, more meaningful things in his future, and he’s sure that working as an assistant at a cosmetics company is not one of them. Still, he thinks, if he can make it there, he can make it anywhere, especially given the type of people who work there. He puts the papers away and looks out the window, looking at the signs and ads placed throughout the city, a handful of them advertising a new beauty product guaranteed to take ten years off of the average woman’s face and he rolls his eyes at the thought. As cliché as it is, Carlos truly believes that a person’s beauty comes from the inside, but he’s still not so naïve as to think it’s the only thing that matters. He knows that looks matter, and while he’s not too concerned about his own, the day at Diamond planted a seed of doubt in his head. Carlos isn’t fully committed to making a change just yet, but he’s hoping Elena can help him look a little bit more presentable for his next day of work.

“Papi? Elena? I’m home!” he calls out as he locks the door behind him and hangs his keys on the hook on the wall.

Elena and Horacio make their presence known in the kitchen, and Carlos follows the sounds of their voices.

“You were gone for a long time, son. I take it that’s a good sign?”

Carlos smiles his signature toothy grin and affirms his dad’s conclusion, bouncing on the balls of his feet, then runs to accept the congratulatory hug Horacio offers. Elena comes up from behind and wraps her arms around the both of them.

“Aah! I’m so happy for you, little brother! Come on, sit down and tell me _all_ about it. Elena wants to know all the details,” she says and pats the kitchen chair for Carlos to join her at the table.

“Well, I’m working for Brooke Diamond-“

“Cosmetics?!” Elena shouts, interrupting her brother with a squeal that Carlos is almost sure the entire neighborhood can hear.

“Yes, Brooke Diamond Cosmetics,” Carlos says with a laugh. He knew Elena would react positively to his new workplace, but he wasn’t expecting that intense of a reaction. “And no, I can’t hook you up with product. I’m just an assistant so I don’t have any pull in the company. At all. In fact I’m almost sure no one likes me already.”

“Don’t say that, mijo,” Horacio says as he brings Carlos a plate of chicken with rice. “They just haven’t gotten to know your brilliant, sparkling self.”

“Sparkling?”

“What? I read a lot of books.”

“Well, dad,” Carlos says, “I’m sure my sparkling self is just a little… _too_ sparkly for them. I mean the receptionist is a huge jerk who doesn’t even do anything. He just sits there giving everyone dirty looks.”

“That’s because he’s insecure,” Elena says. “Hostility is a sure sign of jealousy toward others .”

“He _did_ mention that he’d wanted that position for a while. I don’t know guys. I’m not sure I have what it takes to work in a cosmetics business. I don’t think I even _want_ to work in a cosmetics company. Everyone there is so glamorous and classy and I walk in looking like an overgrown party favor.”

Elena shoots Carlos a look before swallowing a mouthful of rice. “If your appearance bothers you that much, we can work on it! There’s nothing a little creative styling can’t fix, right?”

“I guess,” Carlos replies.  “I don’t really _want_ to change, but if it helps…”

“Finish your dinner and we can go and raid Papi’s closet for some stuff, okay?”

“Kay,” Carlos says with a mouthful of chicken and Horacio lightly taps him on the hand, a notice to mind his manners. Carlos looks up at him with a guilty smile and finishes eating before Elena leads him eagerly by the hand upstairs.

In Horacio’s closet they find old suits, blazers, and ties. Carlos thinks they look a little old-fashioned but Elena assures him they’re so old that they’re actually in now. He’s not sure he buys her argument but he trusts her fashion sense much more than his own and he tries on a few outfits before he decides on what he’ll wear to work the next morning.

“Are you sure powder blue is a work-appropriate color?” he asks, holding the patterned button-down up in front of him.

“Sweetie, you wore a sweater with moth holes to your interview, okay? I _think_ this is an improvement,” Elena says and she prompts him to put his arms through the holes in his dad’s old suit jacket.

Carlos examines himself in Elena’s full-length mirror, taking time to inspect the way the suit hits his body. It’s a little oversized and it smells like it’s been stored in a closet for several years, but Elena sprays it with deodorizer and improves it slightly. He thinks back to the suit James was wearing; light grey with a light blue dress shirt underneath, and suddenly he thinks that his dad’s isn’t so bad. At least if James wore a similar shirt they’d look good together.

After choosing an outfit to wear to work the next day, Carlos goes back downstairs to relax in front of the TV. He’s tired and still unsure as to whether or not he’ll wear the suit tomorrow, although he was browsing around earlier and saw that plaid pants were back in style, so he reasons that it can’t hurt to give it a shot. After all, he took a shot at interviewing at Diamond and it seems to have worked for him so far, so maybe a change in his looks won’t be that big of a deal, at least he _hopes_ it won’t be. Out of boredom, he reaches for his laptop and searches for market numbers on Brooke Diamond Cosmetics, researching figures and statistics and reading up on the family history in an attempt to get to know his bosses a little bit better. In his search, he finds the Diamond social media network and in turn, James’[new](http://jamesediamond.tumblr.com/) [blog](http://jamesediamond.tumblr.com/) and he can’t help but laugh at the rotating photos of himself he has on the sidebar. His hair is combed down for a change, but it still looks professional and he’s wearing a shimmery suit. Carlos chuckles at the self-indulgence of his new boss but reads through the only post and thinks the guy can use some writing lessons, but he’s not terrible so far. He mentally files away the thought as a project for the future and searches his boss’s name some more, cringing at the results: page after page of blog posts and tabloid stories surrounding James. Carlos reads a handful of articles before he realizes he now knows way too much about his boss’s sex life and switches to the images tab, looking through professional and personal photos of James.

“Why can’t I look as good as you?” Carlos asks aloud and sighs. It’s not that he thinks himself to be all that bad-looking; he just thinks life would be easier for him if he looked like James Diamond.  He’s only twenty-three years old and he’s already an accomplished model and has women hanging off of his arm. Not that Carlos is interested in women, but he thinks it must be nice to have someone always willing to be around you. Already past ten, he shuts down his computer and heads to bed, more insecure than he was at the end of the workday. Once he’s in bed, he lies awake for a few moments, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars puttied to his ceiling from when he was in fifth grade.

“This is ridiculous,” he says aloud to the empty room. “I’m Carlos García! If I can survive high school, I can survive anything. I am a competent, intelligent, marginally-attractive young man. Tomorrow’s another day and I’m starting it off the right way.”

 

Stretching his arms wide as he gets out of bed, Carlos remembers his resolution from the night before. “Gooood morning, sunshine,” he says, pulling the curtains back from his bedroom window and flooding it with light. He takes a few extra minutes to groom himself in the bathroom after putting on his father’s old suit and doesn’t think too much about the style. He’s determined to make today a good day, and if the suit isn’t to the liking of his colleagues, he’ll be okay with it. After all, _they_ don’t have to wear his clothes.

“Got time for breakfast, son?” Horacio asks, watching Carlos head toward the front door.

“Sorry, papi! I gotta catch the early bus. I’ll just grab a bagel on the way in to work. Love you!” Carlos calls out, running out the front door and walking to the nearest bus stop. He hears someone yell out that he looks sharp, and even though he thinks for a split second that it’s probably sarcasm, he smiles and thanks them all the same. He skips the rest of the way to the bus stop, entirely sure he’s blushing at the compliment.

 

 

As soon as he arrives at the Diamond building, he walks in, subtly dancing with each step, unaware of the stares he’s getting from the people in the lobby.

“Hi, Kendall!” he shouts from the corridor, and the blond jumps back in his seat, startled. His eyes go wide when he notices Carlos’ new outfit and he smirks, trying to stifle his laughter.

“Good morning,” Kendall replies enthusiastically. “You look different. Did you get your teeth whitened?”

“Uh, no,” Carlos says, smiling to remind his coworker that he still has a mouthful of braces obstructing his teeth. “Anyway, any messages for James?”

Kendall huffs and rolls his eyes, as well as his chair, picking up a stack of papers and handing them to Carlos as he makes his way to his desk. “Keep on truckin’!” Kendall calls out behind Carlos and explodes into a fit of laughter as soon as the coast is clear.

James walks quickly toward Carlos as soon as he sees him walk to his desk, spreading his arms open and gripping his assistant by both arms. “Just the guy I was looking for,” he says and Carlos is bewildered by the sudden affection from his boss.

“Hi,” Carlos responds, looking away from James. He’s, a bit uncomfortable, quite frankly, but he sniffs discreetly when he notices the fragrance James is wearing. He wonders if it’s a Diamond brand and takes a bigger whiff before James lets go of him. “So…what can I do for you today?” Carlos asks cheerfully.

“I’m so glad you’re here. Okay, first, and this is very important,” James says, “I need you to go pick up my dog’s medicine at the vet’s.”

“Sure, I can do tha-“

“And after that I need you to go and actually _give_ my dog his pills. I know it’s kind of strange what with this being your first day on the job and everything but I have a _really_ important meeting I need to be at and I can’t leave the office. Do you think you can handle that?”

“Uh,” Carlos responds, taken aback. He’s not sure if the job description included playing veterinarian for his boss, but he doesn’t want to seem ungrateful.

“I can do that. Sure!” he replies, flashing his metallic smile at James who grimaces a little in return.

“Great! Here are my keys,” James says and tosses them to Carlos, who manages to catch them after they slip out of his hands a couple of times. “Don’t lose them. Oh, and, here’s my address. Don’t forget to lock up when you’re done. You have my number, right? Call me if you need anything! Bye!”

Carlos sighs. He’s just gotten to work and now he has to take the bus again. He quickly snaps out of his slump, however, when he remembers the promise he made to himself the night before. “Oh, well,” he says. “It’ll be a chance to step inside one of those big, fancy apartments.” He picks up his coat from the room by the elevators and hears Kendall snickering as he passes by his desk.

“Hey, Carlos,” he shouts, “lookin’ groovy!”

“That’s sixties slang! This suit is from the eighties!” he shouts back with a knowing smile and Kendall sulks in his chair, having lost this round of the fashion dig battle.

 

Once Carlos arrives at James’ apartment building after picking up the dog’s medicine and learning its name (Chewie), he checks in with the doorman. James has given the all clear for him to be there so getting in is a breeze and he walks happily toward the elevators, taking the opportunity to grab James’ mail on the way in; he figures it’ll earn him some extra brownie points. Carlos arrives at James’ apartment right away, the elevator leading to a private entrance, and he gasps. The place is the most modern thing Carlos has ever seen; light and dark grey paint alternate on the walls, stark white couches and contemporary, sleek chairs accent the rooms. Several bright paintings lend punches of color to the otherwise monochromatic areas and Carlos can’t help but walk up close and stare at them for a few seconds.

The bliss is short-lived however, when James’ dog comes bounding in, shoving Carlos straight onto the hard, tiled floor. When James mentioned he had a dog, Carlos imagined it would be something small, what with him living in an apartment and all, so he’s caught by surprise when the large Alaskan malamute pins him down and starts licking his face.

“Chewie, please,” Carlos says as he reaches for the bag containing the dog’s medicine, which has been thrown several feet away. “I need to give you your medicine.” He struggles to get free from the large dog, but it’s useless, so he shifts his weight a little and reaches for the phone in his pocket to call James. The phone rings several times but there’s no answer on the other end, so Carlos leaves a message. “H-hello? James? This is Carlos. Um…your dog has me pinned to the floor. Is there- ow, is there anything I can do to get him off of me? You know, that involves me not having to move? Please call me back as soon as you can. Thanks!” he says and hangs up, breathing out and giving up on trying to remove the large dog from on top of him. He reaches out and scratches behind Chewie’s ears and he seems to enjoy it, so he pets him some more until the dog relaxes under his touch, resting his head against Carlos’ neck. Chewie’s warm, soft fur threatens to lull Carlos into a deep sleep and he tries to resist but eventually the two are slumbering together and a short while later, Carlos feels cold and notices the dog is gone. He panics, however, when he realizes he’s fallen asleep on the floor in the middle of a busy workday, so he shoots straight up and grabs for Chewie’s medicine, calling for the dog but making sure he doesn’t smother him this time.

“Um, okay,” he says to himself, “this says to give him one pill every twelve hours. Now how do I do that?” Carlos pulls the phone out of his pocket and searches for how to give a dog its medicine, seeing a method that calls for him to wrap the pill in cheese. He figures it can’t hurt to take a bit of cheese from James’ fridge so he searches and finds…nothing. James’ fridge is completely empty save for two bottles of pricey champagne and Carlos exhales sharply, knowing he’ll have to give Chewie his pill the hard way.

“Chewie,” he calls gently, “here boy! Come and get your feel-better pill.” He makes smooching noises with his lips and the dog comes and suddenly Carlos is wrestling and struggling to get the pill into the giant furball’s mouth. “Come. On! Take your pill, please. Chewie, come on!” After what seems like an eternity, Chewie finally takes his pill and Carlos is happy, though he’s now covered in dog drool and has no change of clothes. He sighs and rubs Chewie’s head before exiting the apartment and heading back to the office.

 

Carlos is surprised by the lack of Kendall at the reception desk, but he’s thankful that he won’t have to put up with snarky comments on his end. He storms directly into James’ office, opening the door with a hard pull and screams when he realizes what’s going on: James is lying on top of Kendall on his desk, the two of them smothering each other with kisses and putting their hands seemingly everywhere.

“Oh my god!” he yells and quickly shuts the door again, marching straight to his desk with his shoulders hunched over. He sits down and pulls a spray bottle out of his briefcase, spritzing his dog drool-covered glasses with the solution and wiping them clean before James opens the door and motions for Carlos to join him.

“Hey, uh, sorry about that,” he says and Carlos nods an acceptance to his apology. “Kendall was just leaving, right?”

“Yep,” Kendall says with a forced smile and glares at Carlos on his way out. Luckily for Carlos, Kendall’s too upset to notice his ragged appearance.

“You look awful,” James comments. “What happened?”

_Wow, don’t sugarcoat it,_ Carlos thinks. “Your dog attacked me! I tried to call you but you were obviously, uh...busy, so you never answered. I’m okay though, and so is your dog. I gave him his pill and he settled down. By the way, you _really_ need to go grocery shopping.”

“Oh, thanks for the reminder! I’ll have you pick that up tomorrow!” James says and Carlos tries to protest but thinks it’s best to keep his mouth shut for the time being; he’s had a rough day and it isn’t going to get better if he talks back to his boss, so he sits at his desk and takes messages for James until it’s time for his break.

 

At lunch, Carlos looks for somewhere to sit, only to be met by glares and giggles as he makes his way down the cafeteria. He walks past Kendall and offers a friendly smile, but the blond grabs a random stranger and forces him to sit in the empty seat next to him. Carlos keeps walking and eventually finds an empty table.

“Hi, are you Carlos?” he hears as he’s about to take a bite of his sandwich.

“Uh, yeah. Hi. Nice to meet you, um…”

“Kelly! Kelly Wainwright,” the woman standing beside him says. She’s not much shorter than Carlos and has dark skin and long, black hair tied into a side ponytail. Her outfit consists of a red, beaded shirt with short, flowing sleeves and a black pencil skirt.

“Hi, Kelly. I’m surprised you want to talk to me or even be seen with me,” Carlos replies glaring at the entire cafeteria full of co-workers.

“Oh, they’re just a bunch of judgmental jerks. Don’t pay any attention to them. Besides, you’re James’ assistant and they’re not, so that’s one more thing you’ve got going for you that they don’t,” she says.

Carlos blushes a little and takes a small bite of his sandwich while Kelly asks more questions.

“So, where ya from?”

“Here in Minneapolis,” he replies before swallowing the tiny bit of sandwich and apologizing for talking with his mouth full. “Lyndale, to be specific.”

“Oooh, Lyndale!” Kelly says and claps her hands together a bit too loudly, startling Carlos and several of the employees around them. “Sorry, I just get very excited because they have a lot of good Mexican restaurants.”

“It’s okay,” Carlos replies and laughs. “My dad works at one of them. Maybe sometime we can head out there and get lunch together.”

“That sounds awesome,” Kelly says and the two sit and talk, eating their lunches between topics before their break is up. “Listen, I gotta go but if you wanna talk, I’ll be in the sample room.”

“Okay! I’ll have to ask around and see where it is, but I’ll totally come down and see you sometime. Thanks for being so nice to me. It’s a refreshing change,” Carlos tells her.

“Anytime, sweetie,” Kelly replies then waves goodbye before leaving to go back to her shift.

Carlos smiles as he watches her go; at the very least he’ll have _one_ friend at this company.

 

Just before Carlos comes back from his lunch break, James is visited by his longtime friend, Jett. He’s a spoiled rich guy, all about physical appearance with no substance. He often wears two polos layered over each other, with both collars popped straight up and today is no exception.

“So I heard you got a new assistant, J. Is she hot?”

“ _He_. And no. Not at all. Not even a little. It’s depressing,” James replies. “Oh look there he is now.” He waves to Carlos and he waves back with a big smile, happy that he’s made a new friend and excited that his boss actually noticed him for something other than doing him a favor.

“Yikes,” Jett says as he recoils in horror. “You picked that?”

“My dad did,” James replies, shaking his head vigorously. “And I know he did it just so I wouldn’t sleep with this one. My father, the cockblock.”

“That’s a shame,” Jett says. “Why don’t you get rid of him?”

James sighs and sets down a couple of magazines on his desk before sitting down on the edge of it. “I can’t. My dad says I’m not allowed to fire him. I mean he’s really not a bad assistant. He gave my dog medicine, for Christ’s sake. That’s dedication to a job if you ask me.”

“Or maybe he has a big, fat crush on you,” Jett jokes around, making kissy faces at James, who just rolls his eyes.

“Please. Let’s not go there, Jett. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I can’t fire him because my _dad_ hired him, not me. So it’s not really my place to do that.”

“Well then, what if you get him to quit?” Jett says.

James straightens up and gets off of his desk, listening intently. “How do I do that?”

“Easy. You just wear him down. Take away his dignity, make him do odd jobs, request ridiculous things from him and push him ‘til he can’t take it anymore. Then once he’s gone, you’re free to find yourself a sexy little thing that can do more than just feed your dog, if you know what I’m saying.”

“You always were the smarter of the two of us, dude,” James says and high-fives his friend, catching Carlos’ attention from outside the office. For a brief moment, he wonders what exactly those two are up to, but he shakes his head and keeps doing his research instead of dwelling on it.

“Okay, well I have to go, man. Good luck with Urkel over there,” Jett says with a laugh before giving James a quick hug. “See you around,” he says to Carlos as he passes by his desk and before he can reply, Jett’s gone.

“Carlos, can I see you for a minute?” James calls from his office.

“Uh, sure,” Carlos replies, minimizing the window on his computer and heading toward James’ office. “What can I do for you?”

“I just remembered what you said to me about buying groceries earlier. Do you think you could go and find all of this stuff for me and take it to my apartment?”

Carlos isn’t thrilled about the task, but he tells himself a job is a job so he agrees, taking the extensive list from James and reading through it a couple of times. “What is this stuff?” he says quietly as he exits the office. James chuckles and leans back in his desk chair, swiveling a few times and thinking of himself as a genius. At the same time, he feels a pang of guilt, but represses it and tells himself that this is all for his benefit.

Three hours later, Carlos returns to James’ office, grocery list in one hand and pen in the other as he crosses another item off of his list.

“All done!” he says, smiling.

“What? You found everything?” James asks, leaning forward in his chair and staring up at his assistant in disbelief.

“It’s amazing what you can find if you know where to look. Lucky for you, I’m kinda smart. Need anything else?”

“Um, no. No, I’m good. Thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome?”

“You can go home now if you want.  I don’t need you anymore,” James says before realizing his words come out rather harshly. “Um, for the day, I mean.”

“Oh, okay. Awesome! See you tomorrow,” Carlos says cheerfully as he heads to his desk to pack up his things.

James takes a look at the grocery list and back up at his assistant in disbelief; He’s sure that list contains the rarest food items he can think of yet somehow Carlos managed to find them all. He doesn’t know what to make of things now but he realizes that he’s stuck with a fridge full of food which he has no idea how to cook.

“I’m not getting rid of him,” James says aloud to the empty office and smiles, already feeling significantly better about himself and his life choices.

 

 


	4. Truth, Lies, and Trust

As the weeks pass by, James finds that Carlos is more than capable as an assistant, letting him take on bigger tasks within the company, though he tells none of the higher-ups just in case he can get in trouble for it. He’s confident in his assistant’s ability and, quite frankly, he thinks the guy is more than a bit overqualified for the job. Much as James would love to set Carlos up with a more important job with the company, he can’t help but feel a bit selfish as he decides to keep all of that potential to himself for the time being.

“Alright, don’t forget we have the big, super important meeting with the people from Cosmopolin at twelve o’clock,” Carlos tells James as he stands near his desk, listening to his assistant’s rundown of the day. “Griffin’s gonna be here a little while later with some big announcement thing. Your dad called and said you had to be there. Oh, and your mom wants to talk to you soon.”

James groans at the mere thought of having to see his mother and Carlos can’t help but be a bit concerned over it.

“What’s ‘ughhhh’ supposed to mean?” he asks.

“Nothing. I just…I love my mom but ever since the divorce every time my parents are in the same room it turns into this huge mess and I don’t need this right now.”

“Look, everything’s gonna be fine,” Carlos says, standing up from his desk chair and placing a comforting arm around James’ shoulder. “I’ll make sure nobody bothers you before the Cosmopolin meeting and if you need me to mediate, I’ll help you out. Deal?”

“Deal,” James responds as he smiles, a look of gratitude on his face.

“Good, now get back into your office and work on that proposal. Go!”

James does as he’s told, asking Carlos to hold all of his calls unless they’re important. He closes the shades in front of the window and sits down at his desk, diligently working on the Cosmpolin proposal he’s been working on for the past three weeks. Still, he can’t help but feel nervous at the thought of having both of his parents in the same room, not to mention Griffin. He takes a deep breath and tells himself not let these thoughts cloud his creativity and he gets back to work.

An hour later, James comes out of his office, giving Carlos a smile and thumbs up.

“Done already?” Carlos asks as he reaches out to grab the proposal from James’ hand.

“What can I say? I had a sudden stroke of genius, I guess.”

Carlos scans the stack of papers, taking in every piece of information he can before he takes it to the copy room to have it bound together. “Everything looks good so far! Just…do you mind if I check your numbers real quick? I mean I know you know the company inside and out, but I just want to make sure you have everything you need.”

“Fine by me,” James replies with a friendly smile. “I trust you.”

Carlos can’t help but feel a little bit flustered. Trust was a big deal to him, so to have his boss of just a few weeks already trusting him with what could possibly make or break his career was the highlight of his day, and it was only ten in the morning.

 

“Remember, just don’t forget your numbers. Let them know why _they_ need us, not the other way around. Now go get ‘em,” Carlos tells James, giving one of his signature pep talks just before the meeting two hours later. He subconsciously slaps James on the butt, startling the taller of the two but he pays it no mind and continues into the boardroom. Carlos stays behind, observing James through the glass windows of the office for any signs of distress. He’s taken aback a few minutes later, when Kendall waltzes right into the room.

“Hey, where are _you_ going?”

“Uh, into the meeting?” Kendall replies. He smirks when he realizes James is inside the boardroom without him. “Aww, did someone not get an invitation to the big meeting? That’s a shame. I thought for sure you’d get in. This is probably a lot like your social life, isn’t it?”

Carlos rolls his eyes before smiling forcefully at the tall blond who waves goodbye and walks into the room before them, taking a seat next to James. Carlos notices Kendall turn and smile flirtatiously at James, and his boss shoots him a look of confusion and distress.

“When are the Cosmopolin people getting here, huh?” Kendall asks James.

“Should be here in a few minutes. What are you doing in here?”

“My job. I _am_ the receptionist after all. I mean, you can’t have a meeting without a welcoming face, can you?” Kendall replies and rests his hands underneath his chin in a school photo-worthy pose.

“That’s great,” James says, “but who’s gonna greet them when they get here?”

“Oh, shit!” Kendall shouts and makes a beeline straight to the reception desk where he notices Joanne Allison and her assistants walking toward him. “Hello, Ms. Allison. Right this way.”

Carlos scoffs at Kendall before he notices a familiar face walking into the office. He realizes it’s Brooke Diamond, wearing her signature business suit and headed straight toward the boardroom. He tries to get James’ attention inside by waving exaggeratedly until his boss notices him. “Your mom’s here,” he mouths silently and notices James become panicked, excusing himself for a brief moment with Joanne and walking outside where Carlos is.

“What do you mean my mom’s here? She wasn’t supposed to be in until later!”

“I don’t know but she’s coming straight toward us and-“

“Mom! Hi! What are you doing here?” James says as he turns around and sees Brooke opening her arms to greet him in a tight hug.

“I own half the company. I think I have the right to be here, James. Oh, you haven’t introduced me to your friend.”

“Oh, um, this is Carlos, my assistant,” he says and Carlos waves shyly at Brooke.

“Hmm. He’s not your usual type,” she replies, eyeing him up and down a few times.

“I know. Mom can we go inside please, I don’t want to make Joanne wait.”

“Wait, isn’t he going to come in?” Brooke asks as she points at her son’s assistant.

James gestures at Carlos, who follows him and Brooke inside the boardroom, only to get a glare from a standing Kendall. The two fight over the chair next to James, Carlos winning when his boss pulls him down by the waist into the seat. Kendall huffs silently and goes to sit next to Brooke on the opposite side of James, keeping a deathly glare on Carlos the entire time.

“Joanne, Gabriel, David,” James says, greeting the three important people in front of him and handing them each a copy of his ad proposal. “Sorry for the wait, but my mom just couldn’t help herself and had to join us. Right, mom?”

“Couldn’t be more excited to see the three of you again,” she replies,” and I couldn’t wait to see my son in his first business meeting. Go ahead, sweetie.” She purses her lips and blows a kiss at an already flustered James.

“Um, anyway. Uh, I was looking at the numbers for your readership and I noticed that, um,” he stutters before realizing he’s misplaced his own copy of the proposal. “If you’ll excuse me just a quick second.” He pulls Carlos out of his chair and drags him outside. “I lost it!”

“I noticed!”

“What do I do? I can’t remember all of those numbers! I’m so screwed, Carlos. I’m gonna lose the ad and the money and the company and my parents’ trust and-“

“James! Calm down,” Carlos says, grabbing his boss by both arms and looking him in the eye. “Lucky for you, I made you two copies of it. I got it right here.” He pulls out a stack of papers bound together with a green cover from his bag and James sighs in relief.

“Oh my god, I owe you one. I could kiss you,” he says and pulls Carlos in for a very quick kiss on the cheek before walking back into the boardroom.

Carlos stands in confusion for a few moments before James peeks his head out from the doorway and gestures for him to follow.

“Sorry about that,” James says to his guests. “I just wanted to make sure I had the right papers.”

Kendall is still glaring at Carlos as he watches his boss present the proposal, mouthing along a few numbers and figures and the blond can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, stemming not from a professional point of view, but from a personal one. He can’t stand to see James become so close to someone like Carlos, especially when the two of them spend more time together than he and James ever did.

 

The rest of the meeting goes without a hitch, Joanne and her company shaking hands with James and letting him know they’d keep in touch to discuss details for their ad space. Brooke goes over to James and pinches his cheeks, gushing about how proud of her son she is as he blushes in embarrassment before leaving to check up on the rest of the company.

Kendall walks out of the office, glaring at Carlos and James as the two stand face-to-face, beaming.

“Thank you so much for making an extra copy of that proposal,” James says. “Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re the best assistant ever. I’m giving you a raise.”

“I can live with that,” Carlos says and laughs as they walk out of the boardroom and back to James’ office.

 

“Griffin’s here,” Carlos tells James two hours later and he notices James become nervous and frazzled immediately afterwards. “Hey, it’ll be fine. You totally killed at the Cosmoplin meeting. Besides, it’s not like you have to persuade anyone at this meeting, right? I’ll be right next to you if you need me.”

“Thanks, Carlos,” James replies with a warm smile. “I’m just scared of what exactly this big announcement is. Griffin scares the crap out of me and I can’t imagine any of this news is good.”

Carlos places a hand on James’ shoulder and squeezes gently. “I get it. But try to stay calm, all right? I don’t want my boss to die on my third week of work.”

“Well, I wasn’t thinking about death but I am _now_.”

“Sorry.”

“Hello, everyone!” Griffin announces from the entrance to the boardroom, spreading his arms out in a triumphant greeting. His assistant, Camille follows closely behind but stays quiet and looks at the carpet beneath her feet. Edward and Brooke sit side-by-side on the other side of the desk, the tension immediately noticeable when James and Carlos enter the room. James attempts to defuse it by sitting in between his parents, then pulling up a chair for Carlos to sit right next to him. Carlos notices James is fidgeting in his chair and places his hand over James’. Ordinarily, James would be the first to snap his hand up in protest, but he’s far too on edge to care and, secretly, he’s enjoying the warmth and comfort it provides. Carlos realizes this might look a bit unprofessional, however, and removes it a few seconds later. James’ shoulders droop in disappointment, but he hardly has time to protest as his father stands up and joins Griffin at the head of the table. James looks to his mother in confusion, then back to Carlos who shrugs; if Brooke doesn’t know what’s going on, Carlos sure as hell doesn’t.

“You’re probably all wondering why I asked you to join this meeting,” Edward says, then looks directly at Carlos, “or _most_ of you. I have exciting news for all of you. As you might know, Arthur here is a big investor in our company and he’s been a large part of our corporate family for decades. That’s why I’ve taken it upon myself to offer him the position as co-president of Brooke Diamond Cosmetics starting tomorrow morning.”

Carlos’ eyes go wide as he turns to look at James, who opens and closes his mouth in an attempt to protest his father’s announcement. He doesn’t have to try much longer, however, as Brooke stands up from her chair and confronts her ex-husband.

“I did not agree to this, Edward. What are you doing?”

“I’m making the company better. You know it’s not doing too well and I just wanted to make sure things ran smoothly, especially with our new president,” he replies, glancing over at James and Carlos.

“You appointed your own son and now he’s not good enough for you?” Brooke responds, her hands curled up into fists at her sides.

“Oh I’m not saying _that_. I’m just saying he might need a little…help.”

“I _have_ help, dad,” James says suddenly, standing up from his chair and walking over to his parents, Griffin, and Camille, who has shrunken down  into the corner. Carlos follows James a few seconds later, straightening out his red sweater on the way. “Carlos is more than capable as an assistant and he’s done so much for me and for the company already.”

“Carlos is an assistant, James. He’s not qualified to help run a company. He can help you run errands and take your messages, sure. But he’s _not_ here as more than that,” Edward says sternly.

“Besides,” Griffin interjects, “we all know _why_ you hired this kid, Edward.”

Carlos looks at each set of eyes surrounding him, noticing that James’ widen a little in terror and Edward’s squint. He’s been silent so far, but his impulsive nature gets the best of him and he speaks up. “Look, I know I’m not the sharpest dressed guy here, but I’ve got a lot to offer this company, and like it or not, James needs me around.” He immediately regrets his decision to speak up when Griffin walks over to him, his six-foot frame looming over Carlos’ substantially shorter one.

“That may be true,” he says, “but the fact of the matter is that you’re here because of your looks. Or your lack of them, to be more specific.”

“Arthur,” Edward says quietly, glancing at James, who’s fidgeting with his tie and looking like he’s on the verge of throwing up his daily onion bagel.

“What’s wrong, Edward? Don’t you think your son’s assistant deserves to know the truth. Don’t you think you should tell him why he’s got such a position for someone with such little experience,” Griffin continues.

“What are you talking about?” Carlos asks and he looks at James for answers but he gets none. Instead, James is silent and looking at the floor, still tugging at his clothes and playing with the buttons on his sleeves.

“I’m talking about the fact that you’re here because you’re not exactly James’ type.”

“Griffin, please don’t-“ James finally speaks, but still doesn’t look in Carlos’ direction. Griffin raises a hand to shush him and Carlos looks up at him, confused and overwhelmed.

“What does that have to do with my job?” he asks.

“Simple. Edward hired you because he thinks you’re ugly. And his son would never sleep with an ugly assistant.”

“But I’m a guy, it can be-“

“No. It’s not exactly a secret that James likes to fool around with all kinds of people,” he says, turning his head to face Kendall’s desk.

“Is that true, James?” Carlos asks, his voice sounding forced as he tries to make eye contact with his boss.

“Carlos…”

“Just tell me if that’s true!” he yells before his voice returns to a whimper. “Please.”

James can barely look his assistant in the eye as he nods gently and before he can walk over to him, Carlos is gone.

“I can’t believe you, Griffin. You’re a scum and a half, you know that?” James says to Griffin as he goes to follow and find Carlos.

“I’m honest! Which is more than you and daddy can say, isn’t it, Eddie?”

Edward nods in agreement, still solemn and filled with guilt. Brooke glares at him from beside Griffin.

“I can’t believe you, either,” she says, addressing both Griffin and Edward. “You are grown _men_ and you’re treating this company like a toy. This company belongs to me, too, Edward. And I’m not letting you ruin it by giving it to some money-hungry lunatic like Griffin.”

“Well, that went well,” Griffin says, smiling. “Camille!” The two of them leave the boardroom and the building, leaving Edward behind to mull over the meeting’s events.

Meanwhile, James searches around his office trying to locate Carlos but can find no trace of him. Suddenly, he remembers Kendall telling him that his assistant liked to watch the city when he felt stressed out, so he goes to the part of the building where one could get the clearest view of the Minneapolis skyline. He opens the door and sees Carlos sitting along the edge of the roof, his head tucked under his chin and resting both arms on his knees. He knocks gently on the side of the door to get his attention and when Carlos turns around, James can make out the glistening of tears pooled beneath his dark brown eyes.

“Hey. Are you all right?” James asks and walks toward Carlos, taking a seat next to him.

Carlos sits up straight and sighs heavily, putting his glasses back on. “Why are you here, James? Do you have any more sleazy company tactics you want to let me know about?”

“I’m sorry, Carlos. I just figured that you didn’t have to know _why_ you’re here. Isn’t it good enough that you’re here at all?” James says, placing an arm around Carlos’ shoulders. “None of that matters to me, though. You’re an awesome assistant, okay? And you are _so_ much better at my job than I am. Griffin just likes to stir up trouble and I promise you that this isn’t gonna affect you or your job or our friendship…or whatever this is.”

 “I’m just starting to wonder if any of this is worth it.”

“Any of what?”

“This. This job. These people, this _company_. All of the time and effort and energy it sucks out of me. I’m just wondering if the kind of money I make is worth losing my mind over,” Carlos replies, tilting his head back to stop himself from crying again and watching the clouds drift for a little bit before James replies.

“I can’t answer that for sure, Carlos. But I do know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s definitely worth it if it means having you around,” James says with a soft smile as he pulls Carlos closer to his side.

Carlos nudges James with his elbow and flushes with embarrassment at the thought of someone like his boss wanting to keep him around. “Stop!”

“I’m serious! You saved my ass today and you’re always there to fix my messes even if I don’t ask you to. You don’t _have_ to do any of that,” James says.

“No, I _do_. We’re a team and that’s what teammates are supposed to do,” Carlos replies. “Besides, if you lose your job, so do I.”

James feigns outrage at Carlos’ reply and gasps loudly. “So you’re just saving my ass to save your own? I see how it is,” he says and raises his chin up, turning away from his assistant.

“No, it’s not-“ Carlos sighs. “Look, I know we haven’t known each other all that long, and yes, part of this is me saving my own ass, but I can’t just leave you there to die. You’re my friend. I couldn’t do that to you. I _won’t_ do that to you.”

“Fair enough. Just…before you try to make any kind of decision on your future here, think about it. We need you around here to fix _all_ of our messes. And I need you, too. I know you wanna make it out there doing something more significant than working for a cosmetics company and I totally get it if you decide to leave one day. Just promise me that when you do go places, you won’t go too far.”

Carlos sighs and smiles, leaning gently on James’ arm before laying his head on his shoulder. “I can’t promise that. But I promise that if I _do_ leave, I won’t forget you.”

“That works, too,” James replies and rests his head on top of Carlos’, sighing deeply as the two watch the city below them.


	5. Suit of Diamond's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Year Two

“He hasn’t ruined the company just yet, so I’m learning to live with him. But does he _have_ to be so crazy and obnoxious all the time?” James says before taking one last bite of his morning bagel.

“Yeah, you know Griffin. At least he stopped being mean about my clothes,” Carlos responds, wiping the corners of his own mouth to make sure there aren’t any bits of cream cheese left on his face.

James smiles and looks at Carlos’ outfit for the day. It’s much more subdued than the clothes he wore a few months ago, but it’s still very Carlos. A bright blue cardigan stands out against a white button down with blue and orange polka dots and a red, silk bowtie. His pants are a subdued khaki color; a stark contrast to the plaid patterned ones he wore just a few months prior.

“See? That’s cause you started dressing better,” James says with a mouth full of bagel and cream cheese.

“Did I? I didn’t really notice. And don’t talk with your mouth full, it’s gross,” Carlos replies before standing up and looking at himself in James’ full-length office mirror. “I guess it’s a _little_ different but I don’t know. It’s still very…bright.”

“Yeah, but it’s you! You wouldn’t be Carlos if you didn’t dress like Carlos.”

Carlos smiles and turns back to James. “You’re right! Anyway, I better get to work. You’ve got a lot going on this week. Your mom wants you to start posting on your blog more, by the way.”

“I do!” James protests.

Carlos glares at James in a playful way. “More than just pictures of yourself.”

“Ugh, but Carlos you know I’m terrible at writing. I can barely put together a sentence, let alone an entire blog entry,” James says, throwing his head back dramatically.

“Oh, come on. I’ve read some of your blog. It’s…good,” Carlos says reassuringly.

“Yeah, just good. I don’t want it to be just good. I want it to be mind-blowingly awesome like your stuff.”

“Wait, you’ve read my stuff?” Carlos asks, looking at James with a stare of disbelief.

James pulls up his computer and motions for Carlos to come over. On the screen, he sees that a search is open for “carlos garcia writing minneapolis” and several results are visible, all samples of his published works from the college magazine and newspaper.

“You actually looked up my name on the internet? That’s kinda weird, James.”

“What? You mentioned that you liked to write the other day and then you said something about being published so I just thought I’d take a look at it. It’s really amazing. I don’t know why you don’t do it more often,” James says.

Carlos exhales deeply as he looks over James’ shoulder, reading the tiny excerpts open on his boss’s computer. “That ship has sailed, my friend. It’s completely unrealistic to pursue writing as a career for me. I needed a job and I needed it right away and I landed here and I’m your assistant. Looks like you’re stuck with me for a few years.”

“Well, I for one am glad to be stuck with you. But I really think you should reconsider just dropping the writing thing. At least write a little something once a week and go from there? Try to get a magazine to publish your stuff. We’re in one of the most art-centered cities ever. The least you can do is put yourself out there.”

“Fine,” Carlos says, rolling his eyes. “I’ll do it just for you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta get back to work. You know where to find me if you need anything.”

James points and winks as Carlos disappears behind the office door and closes it behind him, then continues to read some of Carlos’ poems.

 

In the reception area, Kendall is talking with Camille, Griffin’s assistant and his new best friend. The two took instantly to each other and the formerly quiet, mousey girl became loud and opinionated, usually about Carlos and his outfits. Together, they formed an annoying combination for Carlos and his daily routine.

“Have you seen how chummy Carlos and James have been lately? I think they’re pushing the boundaries if you ask me,” Camille says, leaning over Kendall’s desk and Kendall glares at her from underneath her line of sight.

“Yeah, they’re just really good friends. I seriously doubt he has anything going on with Carlos. Besides, he would never trade all this,” he says pointing to himself, “for that.”

“Okay, I’m just sayin’. Don’t be surprised if you walk into James’ office one day and they’re smoochin’ on his desk.”

“Stop it. I think I’m gonna throw up,” Kendall replies, though he can’t help but feel extremely jealous at the thought. The two of them have grown closer since Carlos arrived at Diamond a few months back, but Kendall never felt threatened by his presence. That is, until Carlos started picking up the slack around the office and James felt  the need to constantly praise him at staff meetings. These days, he finds them standing around and smiling at each other and notices that they seem to have developed a form of silent communication. Kendall sighs, wishing he could somehow get on James’ good graces again. He hasn’t had a rendezvous with James in months and he’s beginning to wonder if he’s forgotten all about the good times they’ve had in bed in the past.

Just as Kendall’s done reminiscing, James walks by his desk carrying a stack of envelopes. “Hey, Kendall. Do you think you can send these out for me?”

“Sure,” Kendall says flirtatiously, tilting his head to the side and smiling at James.

“Thanks,” James says, then winks at him, sending shivers down Kendall’s spine as he thinks about the last time James winked at him that way.

“Hey,” Camille calls out as James starts to walk away. “So how are things between you and Carlos?”

“Good, I guess,” James answers. “Why?”

“Just making sure there’s no trouble in paradise,” she says and Kendall shoots a glower in her direction.

James’ eyes narrow and he shakes his head. “What…is that supposed to mean?”

Camille leans on Kendall’s desk and places a hand on her hip. “Oh come on, don’t act like you haven’t heard the rumors.”

“Rumors? What rumors? What?” James asks, feeling overwhelmed by this sudden flood of information.

“The rumors that the two of you are up to more than just business, if you catch my drift,” she says with a wink.

James scoffs and towers over Camille in defense. “That’s ridiculous. Carlos is my assistant and nothing more. I mean he’s sort of my friend but more than that? No. Absolutely not.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Camille says. “But have you asked Carlos how _he_ feels about _you_?”

“That’s not really something we talk about,” he replies. “Anyway just…put this rumor to rest. Please. Kendall?”

“Yeah,” he replies, hope filling his eyes.

“Don’t forget to send those letters.”

“Right,” he says with a sigh then turns to Camille as James goes back to his office. “What’d you do that for? No one’s saying that.”

“Honestly? It’s been boring around here lately. I felt like creating some _excitement_ ,” she responds.

Kendall looks at her and smirks, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head. “You’re horrible and I love you.”

 

“Hey, Carlos can you come in for a bit?” James asks, calling his assistant over the phone.

“What’s up?” Carlos says as he walks into James’ office.

“I’m trying to write in this blog but I’m having a really hard time getting anything to sound right. Do you think you can help me?”

Carlos reads over a few lines of the paragraph James has written down so far. It’s not terrible, but it’s not very exciting, either. Still, he thinks he’s got a good start that he can flesh out later.

“It looks pretty good to me! I think you just have to get back into the groove of it. It’s like…” Carlos pauses as he thinks of a good metaphor, “it’s like riding a bicycle. You know that saying: you never forget how to ride a bike? Think of it that way.”

“Yeah,” James replies, “I’m not sure that’s gonna work on me.”

Carlos goes quiet for a few seconds, not entirely sure of what James is trying to say when it hits him. “Oh. Oh, James. James, don’t tell me you’ve never ridden a bicycle before!”

James gives him a shy smile and looks away, noticing Carlos is still giving him a look of disbelief. “What? My dad never taught me! My mom sent me off horse riding or tennis playing or to piano lessons. I never really had time for bicycles. Besides, they’d always put me in suits and tell me not to ruin them. I was an only child, go easy on me!”

“Okay, okay!” Carlos replies and puts his hands up in surrender. “Then we’ll try another way. Think of writing as…a woman. A beautiful, blonde model. On the beach. In a tiny bikini.”

“I like this more already,” James says with closed eyes and smile on his face.

“Okay, now imagine you have to write a letter to her. But you can’t use any corny pick-up lines, okay? You have to be eloquent, well-spoken. You have to be…classy!” Carlos says. “Now put that same idea into the company.”

“Ugh, talk about a boner kill.”

Carlos makes a face of disgust and slaps James on the arm. “Don’t be gross! Anyway, we can get together tomorrow and figure this out. You always say we work better as a team, right?”

“Right! We can go after work. Is that all right? Do you know of any good places we can go for dinner that aren’t too crowded?”

“Come over to my house,” Carlos answers. “I’ll tell Papi to set an extra place at the table for you.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to do that, Carlos. It’s okay,” James says, panicking. He’s thinking about Camille’s bit of news from a bit ago and he’s not sure going to Carlos’ place is in his best interests.

“Are you kidding? My dad _loves_ you. Ever since you helped him get a job at that classy restaurant he says he owes you. The least you can do is let him cook dinner for you,” Carlos says, insisting and James is still freaking out about his sudden interest in making him a part of his family. Still, he can’t help but think about Horacio’s home cooking ever since he was treated to it a couple of weeks ago.

“Some of your dad’s food _does_ sound really good,” James answers with a smile.

“Good. It’s a date!” Carlos calls out and James’ face sinks with worry. Maybe he was sending Carlos mixed signals with this whole work date. After all, a rumor doesn’t just start from nothing.

 

After work lets out the next day, James and Carlos hop inside a company car and head away from downtown. James is tense the entire ride, saying little more than a couple of words as Carlos gushes on and on about how his dad can’t wait to see him.

“Papi? Elena? I’m home,” Carlos calls out as he opens the front door. “I brought James with me!”

All at once, Elena and Horacio crowd around him, offering to take his jacket and hugging him as a greeting. He’s still tense, but he appreciates the friendly gestures. James wonders if Carlos has told them that he’s in love with him but he quashes the thought almost immediately.

“I made my signature dish,” Horacio says proudly. “Chiles rellenos.”

James smiles brightly. He’s never had the dish before but his senses tell him he’s going to enjoy it anyway. The aroma of fried batter and green pepper wafts through the house and he inhales sharply, taking in the unfamiliar but pleasant scent. “Wow, it smells great! I can’t wait to try it.”

“Well, you don’t have to. Dinner’s ready. Come on, have a seat,” Horacio says excitedly as the family leads James into the kitchen. He sets a plate down in front of him and James’ eyes grow wide in anticipation as he checks to make sure he’s not actually drooling.

“What do you want to drink?” Elena asks, her head buried in the refrigerator.

“Um, what do you have?” James replies.

“We have regular pop and Mexican pop.”

“Mexican. Please,” James says and Elena nods knowingly as she joins the rest of the family at the table.

 

After dinner, Carlos and James going into the dining room as Horacio and Elena clean the dishes. 

“That was delicious,” James says, patting his stomach and giving Horacio a thumbs up from behind the doorway.

“Yes, it was but we have to get to work. Come on. Time to write,” Carlos says and James lets out a groan of annoyance but agrees if it’ll help his writing skills improve.

The two sit down for an hour with Carlos’ laptop open and James’ blog on the screen. Elena walks past and offers a “nice” as she sees the theme and background on it. Carlos laughs and rolls his eyes as he watches his sister blatantly check James out on her way upstairs. Once James is finished with his blog post, Carlos claps with excitement.

“You did it!” he shouts, taking one of James’ hand between both of his and James blushes, reminding himself of the rumors going around the office.

“Carlos, can we talk about something? It’s about work and-“

“No. No more work talk for today, please. I have a better idea. Come on,” Carlos says and motions to James to follow him out the back door.

“Um, where are you taking me?” James asks and Carlos grabs him by the wrist, practically dragging him along down the steps. “Hey, I don’t wanna fall over. This is an expensive suit!”

Carlos stops and looks up at him, giggling. “You are so ridiculous, you know that? It’s just a suit! Besides, it’s not like you can’t afford another one, James. Come on, be realistic.”

James looks pensive for a moment and then grins widely at his assistant before reaching up and loosening the tie around his neck. He tugs at it and pulls it off, leaving the loop intact in order to hang it around the knob atop the wooden banister of the Garcia’s back porch steps. “Much better!”

“Wait!” Carlos says and reaches his hands up toward James’ neck, causing the taller man to back up a little bit. He’s heard the rumors going around the office and he doesn’t want to send his assistant any mixed signals. His eyes widen when he realizes Carlos has started to unbutton his shirt and he puts his hands out to stop him before he gets any ideas.

“Carlos, look,” he says, “I know I’m extremely attractive but I don’t think we should be doing this.”

Carlos pulls his hands back from the purple shirt’s collar and puts them up in surrender as he looks down at the ground and sighs dramatically. “You’re right, James. I need to stop myself before I just…take you right here on my dad’s back steps in front of the entire neighborhood,” he says and he can’t stop the smirk that comes across his face before erupting in loud laughter.

James rolls his eyes and playfully punches him on the arm. “Stop making fun of me!”

“I’m sorry,” Carlos says after finally catching his breath. “But. You…really thought I wanted to have sex with you?!”

“Well that’s the rumor!”

“What rumor? What are you talking about?” Carlos asks, shaking his head at the absurdity of this entire conversation.

“There’s a rumor going around the office that you’re in love with me,” James explains. “And you were reaching for my shirt and undoing buttons so I just figured…you know.”

Carlos chuckles and looks up at James from the next step. “James, come on. I like you and everything but…not _that_ way. Besides, I’m _so_ not your type.”

“Am I yours?” James asks and Carlos’ breath hitches for a second. He’s not sure what causes this but he figures it’s just the awkwardness of the situation.

“James, any guy who’s _breathing_ is my type. I’m not exactly swimming in boys,” he replies. “I mean I guess you’re pretty good looking and stuff but…you’re a notorious ‘man whore’ as they say. That’s so not my thing.”

“Oh,” James responds and Carlos thinks he notes a hint of disappointment in his voice, but brushes it off as nothing more than James being astonished that someone would actually reject him.

After a moment of incredibly awkward silence, Carlos reaches out and takes James by the wrist again, leading him a bit more carefully down the remaining steps. “Come on; let’s get back to the other situation we’ve got going on.”

James is even more confused now than he was before but he follows along. Carlos grabs a key from his pocket and unlocks the side door of the family’s garage, one hand still wrapped around his boss’s wrist. He pushes the door open and steps inside, James following along into the dark and garage and letting out a cough when a puff of dust swoops across his face.

“Sorry it’s kinda dusty in here,” Carlos says apologetically. “We haven’t really used the garage for anything other than storage in a few years since we can’t afford a decent car and since we got a bus running around here.” He lets go of James’ wrist and James misses the warmth but is thankful that his tether is gone for now. “Aha! Here it is,” Carlos calls out from one corner of the garage.

“Here _what_ is?” James asks and his question is quickly answered when his assistant comes forward with an old, red bicycle. Carlos smiles warmly and James can’t help but laugh. “Are you gonna teach me to ride a bike, García?”

“You know it, boss,” Carlos replies, and pulls the bicycle out fully before closing the door and locking it again. “Can’t be too careful around here, you know? People steal things all the time. Not that there’s really anything worth stealing in there but…sentimental value and all that stuff. Wait here!”

Carlos bounds up the back steps and goes inside the house as James stands alone with the old, dusty bicycle. He smiles down and feels along one of the handlebars before noticing his hand is covered in a powdery gray film. He looks around for something to clean it off but doesn’t find anything and settles for one of his pants’ legs.

“Woah, woah, woah!” he hears and snaps his head back up toward the steps where Carlos is standing with a few wet rags. “You’re gonna ruin your suit! Here, take one of these.” He tosses one in James’ direction and it misses, landing directly on James’ face.

“Thanks,” he says with a laugh and wipes his fingers on the wet surface. “Want me to give you a hand?”

“Nah,” Carlos calls out from his position on the ground, “I got it. Besides…suit.”

James smiles, the damp piece of cloth still in his hand, and shrugs, kneeling beside Carlos and wiping down the opposite side of the red metal, the once dull surface now glistening in the bright sunlight as he works his way along the tubes. They work on the bicycle for a few minutes, completely silent and giving each other a few soft smiles whenever their eyes make contact, before finishing and standing up in triumph.

“Ta da!” Carlos says and spreads his arms out wide. “All clean and ready to be ridden!”

“That sounds _dirty_ ,” James responds with a chortle and Carlos rolls his eyes as he gives him a light punch on the arm.

“Let’s go!” he says and then whoops loudly, arms raised in triumph and James can’t help but find it endearingly adorable as he shakes his head and lets out a soft whoop himself. Carlos turns around in surprise and gives him a look of approval and James’ signature thumbs-up.

Once they’re back at the front of Carlos’ house, James is instructed to hop on.

“What? I don’t even know how to ride it. What if I break my face?” he asks and puts his hands up to frame both sides of his face, fingers wiggling.

Carlos scoffs at the ridiculous gesture. “Well, the first step to learning how to ride a bike is actually getting _on it_. Now, come on. Up you go! Come on!”

James reluctantly lifts a leg and straddles the seat before easing himself down onto it, both legs still firmly planted on the ground.

“Now put one foot on a pedal,” Carlos says and he makes his way next to James just in case his boss falls over in a panic. James does as he’s told and Carlos instructs him to put the other foot on the other pedal, but the taller man puts the opposite foot down in the process, eliciting an annoyed huff from his assistant. “James, you gotta put _both_ feet on the pedals or this won’t work.”

“I know,” he replies in a hushed tone,” but I’m honestly a little scared.”

“You have nothing to be afraid of. We’ll take it slow, take our time. Don’t worry, James just…trust me,” Carlos responds, and that’s all James needs to go ahead. He places both feet gently on the plastic pedals and moves his legs up and down, Carlos walking right beside him the entire time, placing his hands out just in case he needs to help keep him up. The wheels turn and he’s moving at a comfortable pace, so he figures he’ll go a little bit faster. “Easy there, tiger,” Carlos calls out from the side.

“What? I’ve totally got the hang of it. Watch this,” he says and lifts both legs off of the pedals as the wheels still move from the momentum he’s built up. He puts one leg onto the handlebars and lifts the other one off to the side. Carlos winces as his boss removes one hand from the handlebar and lifts in the air. “Check it out, Carlos! I’m a bike-riding badass!”

“Be careful,” Carlos calls out to his boss, who’s quickened his pace so much that it’s hard for his out-of-shape employee to keep up.

“I’m fine, dude! Look!” he yells and just as he’s getting the hang of the “look ma, no hands” technique, the bicycle hits a small rock on the pavement, sending the brunet tumbling toward the ground a few houses down from where his assistant is.

“Oh, my god!” Carlos yells out and rushes toward where his boss is now lying on the pavement, clutching his knee in pain.

“Ow,” he groans as he tries to sit up. The bicycle is okay, sustaining just a tiny scratch on its surface, but James doesn’t come away unscathed. Instead, he pulls his hand away to reveal a freshly torn pair of pants and a large, bloody scrape on his knee.

“Oh, god,” Carlos says as he kneels next to him. “I’m so sorry. This was a terrible idea. I never should’ve talked you into it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Are you okay? Is your knee intact? How’s your face?”

“Carlos!” James yells, silencing the other man quickly. “I’m fine. It’s just a scrape…and a ruined pair of five hundred dollar pants but I’m okay. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“I feel terrible.”

“Don’t. That’s the most fun I’ve had in _years_ , you know? Sure I’m all torn up now but at least I have a fun story to tell at dinner parties.”

Carlos chuckles quietly and offers a hand to his boss to help him up off of the ground. James hisses when he extends his knee and Carlos wraps his arm around his waist, taking one of the taller man’s arms and draping it across his shoulders.

“I’ll come back for the bike later.”

“But…won’t someone steal it?”

His shoulders droop and he shuffles them toward the bike, James effortlessly picking the bicycle up and toting it along next to them. They put it back behind the chain-link fence and Carlos helps James up the back steps and into the kitchen, setting him down on one of the chairs as he reaches for another one with which to prop up James’ knee. Carlos runs into the front entrance and up the steps to the family’s shared bathroom to gather a first-aid kit and runs into his sister on the way up.

“Woah, what happened?” Elena asks and Carlos responds that he doesn’t have time to explain. She walks into the kitchen and sees James sitting on the chair with his freshly scraped knee.

“Fell off a bike,” James responds with a grimace. “I’m fine, though. Your brother’s got me all taken care of.”

Elena shakes her head and walks away, muttering something about “little kids” on the way out. Carlos dashes back into the kitchen, nearly knocking his older sister to the ground as he passes her by. He takes a wet washcloth and gently washes the blood off of his boss’s knee before drying it and covering it with a sterile adhesive bandage.

“Better?” he asks and James nods in response.

James checks his watch and his eyes widen. “I better go. I’ve got a date tonight!”

“But your pants are all torn up,” Carlos argues and James laughs at him.

“Won’t need ‘em,” he says with a wink and Carlos makes a face in disgust.

“Okay, way too much information. Thanks.”

“I’m kidding,” James responds. “I’ll stop by my apartment on the way and change.”

“Oh,” Carlos says and he can’t help but feel a little silly. “Need help getting down the stairs?”

“Please.”

The two walk out the door and down the steps where James’ driver is waiting for him. He laughs as he watches his boss hobble down the stairs assisted by his colorfully dressed employee. Carlos opens the door for James and helps him shuffle into his seat, closing the door as soon as James gets comfortable.

“Thanks for everything,” James says once he rolls down his window.

“It’s no problem,” Carlos replies. “Besides, who better to teach you about the simple things in life than the living picture of simplicity himself? Aside from my outfits, maybe…”

James chuckles and the two exchange glances for a few seconds before he excuses himself and waves goodbye. Carlos waves back as the car drives off and sighs to himself. This is definitely one of the more interesting days he’s had in a long time.


	6. Elise We Still Have Each Other

“James, can you please stop ogling the models for five seconds and help me with these flyers?” Carlos says as he watches James flirt with yet another woman.

“Sorry,” James tells the blonde in front of him, “my assistant’s kind of a pain in the butt sometimes.”

“I heard that!” Carlos calls out as he holds a phone to his ear with his shoulder and juggles two stacks of colored flyers in both hands. “Yes, hi. Sorry, um, yes, that’s two hundred fifty boxed lunches? Perfect. Thank you so much.”

James rushes over just in time to take the falling phone from Carlos’ shoulder and hangs it up. The company is busy with preparations for today’s shoot for their new summer ad campaign and no one is busier than Carlos. James does his best to help out as much as he can but keeps getting distracted by the girls and guys who walk in, though he’s more discreet about flirting with the male models than the female ones.

“Okay, you know what?” Carlos says as he watches James become distracted by yet another model. “Go get Chewie, take him for a walk, get your mind off of models and I’ll take care of everything while you’re gone.”

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

“I’ll ask Kendall to help me, I don’t know. Just go. You need to get away from here or I’ll never get anything done. Come on. Here’s your phone, call me if you need anything. Now shoo!”

James is pushed out toward the elevators, phone in hand and he exhales loudly. He appreciates Carlos looking out for him, but he sometimes feels like he doesn’t have too much faith in his abilities. He shrugs off the thought and looks forward to getting some fresh air instead.

After getting Chewie on his leash and taking a short walk to the small park nearby, he feels more relaxed, taking in the air and his surroundings, even though he’s still in the middle of downtown. Chewie enjoys the fresh air as well, chasing a butterfly that lands near a plant next to him, nearly dragging James along with him.

“Woah, hey slow down, buddy!” James calls out. “You’re gonna get me hurt.”

Just as James says this, Chewie makes a sharp turn, his leash extended so far that a jogger gets tangled in it, tripping and tumbling palms down onto the pavement in front of her.

“Ow!”

James manages to catch up with Chewie, leading him back toward where the woman is lying on the pavement, holding her palms out and grimacing. “I am so, so sorry are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” she says as she sits up, still observing the damage done to her hands. James notices they’re completely scraped and bleeding and he offers her the handkerchief from his suit pocket.

“Here, maybe this will help. Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?”

“Nah, I can take care of it. Nothing a little peroxide and bandages can’t take care of.”

“Peroxide?!” James asks as his eye widen.

“Yeah, it helps clean it up. Hurts like a mother, but it works,” she says as she finally looks up at James and smiles. “Hey, I know you.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah, you’re James Diamond. Kinda hard to _not_ know you, if you know what I’m saying.”

James becomes instantly flustered and Chewie tugs on his leash, eager to walk some more. “Hey, my dog’s getting kinda restless. Do you…do you wanna join us on a walk? Maybe take your mind off of your hands?”

“Um, sure. That sounds nice,” she replies and James smiles warmly at her when she does the same. “I’m Elise, by the way. Elise Ramirez.”

“That’s an interesting combination,” James says with a light chuckle.

“Yeah, well. I’m half-French, half-Mexican so that kinda happened,” she says, laughing quietly then looking back down at her hands. James looks down at the same time and sees her pouting.

“I still feel awful about that,” James says. “What do you say I make it up to you over lunch sometime?”

Elise crosses her arms and tilts her head to the side, looking at James with a judging look on her face. “We met…what? Five minutes ago and you’re already asking me out?”

James rolls his eyes and huffs. “I’m not asking you out. I’m just trying to make it up to you for ruining your hands. Is that so bad?”

“Well, I mean you have a reputation,” she replies.

“And what makes you think I want that this time? Maybe I’m just being friendly. Maybe…I just want to get to know you a little better.”

Elise shifts her gaze from  James’ and looks down at the ground, the smile on her face changing from amusement to genuine shyness for the first time since she met James just a few minutes ago. “Okay. Lunch is good. Gimme your phone.”

“Hm?”

“Your phone. Give it. I’m gonna put my number in it.”

“Oh,” James replies, fumbling with the pockets on his suit jacket until he finds the slim, black device.

“Done!” Elise says a few seconds later. “Give me a call when you wanna get together and we’ll meet up somewhere. I gotta get back to work but it was nice meeting you, James. Bye, dog!” She kneels down to rub Chewie’s ears before leaving and James watches her go, catching her gaze once more when she turns back to catch one last glimpse of him.

James plays with Chewie and lets him run free for a few more minutes before taking him back to his apartment and going back to work. He thinks about Elise the entire time, eager to call her and get lunch with her. He hopes he doesn’t come across as too excited to her again so he decides to wait until later that night to call.

“Hey, you’re back!” Carlos calls out when James comes into the office. He notices there’s a new spring in his step. “Well, _someone’s_ happy.”

“Someone just met the coolest girl, that’s why,” James tells him.

“Oh?” Carlos says, placing a hand on his hip and turning to face James. “Well that’s great! What’s she like?”

“She’s so…happy. And bubbly and she is tough as nails, let me tell you. She fell hands first into the pavement, scraped up both of her hands and just went along like it was nothing,” James replies and Carlos swears the guy is swooning like a teenager.

“Did you know I once stapled my fingers together in third grade?” Carlos says, not knowing exactly what compels him to toss out his own tale of hand injury.

“I…did not but thanks for sharing.”

“Yeah, everyone laughed at me instead of helping. Then the teacher yelled at them but I was okay. I just had holes in my fingers. I still have the scars, see?” he says as he shoves his index and middle fingers in James’ face.

“Looks painful,” James says, his gaze pointed nowhere in particular. Carlos huffs lightly as he notices James’ attention is elsewhere but continues to put together several stacks of paper to give to Kendall so that he and Camille can hand them out to the rest of the office. He stops and watches James walk into his office, where he sits and spins around in his chair, head up to the ceiling as he tosses a balled-up piece of paper into the air and catches it. He’s happy to see James smile, but there’s an uneasiness in him that he can’t quite place and he figures it’s just the day’s stress catching up with him.

 

After work, James paces the floor of his apartment, Chewie following his steps and almost tripping him a few times. He has his phone out, ready to call Elise and ask her to lunch, but he hesitates. He doesn’t want to appear too eager, but he doesn’t want to keep her waiting too long, either. He decides to take the plunge and call her anyway, figuring he has nothing to lose. The phone rings a few times before he hears a quiet voice greeting him.

“Hello?”

“Elise, hi. It’s um, it’s James. You know from earlier at the park?” he says, fidgeting with the pens and pencils on his home office desk.

“Oh, hi James. I’m surprised you called so soon. I thought a guy like you would be super busy on a Friday night,” she replies, and James can hear clinking and clattering the background.

“Yeah, well. Surprisingly, I’m not. What are you up to? Sounds like there’s a lot going on,” he asks.

He hears a loud splash and a clank, followed by a murmured swear and chuckles quietly. “Ah, I’m trying to wash these pans but my hands still hurt so I keep dropping ‘em in the sink.”

“Yep, still feeling awful about that,” James says with a groan.

“I already told you, it’s fine. It’s a little hard to get things done but I’ll be back to a hundred percent in no time. I’m a scrapper like that. Used to play hockey when I was a kid. Believe me, a couple of scrapes? No big deal.”

“Hockey? Wow!”

“Yeah, wow! Surprise, girls can play hockey, too,” she says.

James notices the change in her tone and sits up straight in his chair, accidentally kicking Chewie, who he notices has been sitting at his feet the entire time. “Oh. No, no. I wasn’t saying that. _Anyone_ who can play hockey is impressive to me, believe me. My parents always thought sports were too dangerous for me. The riskiest thing I ever did was horseback riding.”

“Typical rich boy activity,” Elise replies lightheartedly.

“Hey now. I’m more than just a rich boy!”

“Right, right of course,” she says and lets out a loud huff as James hears her drop another pan into the sink. “So lunch, huh? Where ya taking me? Somewhere extra fancy? Gonna eat snails and goose liver?”

“Elise, please,” James responds. “I’ll take you wherever you want to go. What do you like?”

Elise pauses for a few seconds, making clicking noises as she thinks of the perfect place for them to eat lunch. “Hmm, well I _have_ been craving chili cheese fries lately.”

“Chili…cheese fries?” James asks, surprised at the choice she’s made.

“Got a problem with chili cheese fries, rich boy?” she teases.

“No! No, not at all. Carlos gets them all the time and shares with me sometimes. I just think that’s kind of a plain thing to eat for a first-“

“Date?! Ha. Gotcha. You _did_ mean to ask me out. I’m not stupid, Diamond.”

“Fine,” James says with a loud sigh. “Fine, okay. I wanted to ask you out. But I promise I’m not just doing it to get in your pants. I think you’re…different and funny.”

James hears Elise laugh quietly on the other end and smiles, knowing she’s probably showing her shy side again. “Well, ain’t ya sweet? But seriously, chili cheese fries. Tomorrow? Meet ya at the park and we can go from there.”

“Sounds good to me. See you then!” James says and removes the phone from his ear before he hears Elise shout.

“Hey wait!”

“What?” James asks, panicked. He’s almost sure she’s about to call off their date.

“Who’s Carlos?” she asks.

He sighs in relief. “Oh, he’s my assistant.”

“Oh, okay. He sounds like a cool guy. Anyone who appreciates chili cheese fries the way I do is probably an awesome person.”

“Well, he’s gay so-“

“Hey, calm down, rich boy,” she says with a scolding tone. “I’m not trying to date your assistant. I don’t even know him.”

“Sorry,” James replies and laughs a little bit to ease the tension and at his insecurity during the entire phone call.

“It’s fine. Anyway, these pans aren’t going to clean themselves so I’m gonna let you go. See you tomorrow!”

“See you.  Um, have a good night, Elise,” James says quietly and sincerely.

“Thanks, James. You too. Bye,” she answers, lively as always and James smiles on the other end. He sighs in relief as Chewie looks up at him from the floor. He reaches down and rubs the fur on his head before wiggling his chair around in a small victory dance.

 

Meanwhile, Carlos arrives at home. He’s uncharacteristically silent and Elena runs into the living room when she hears the door shut without a greeting accompanying it.

“Hey, squirt! Why so glum today, huh?”

“I’m tired. Work is hard and I have like seven million paper cuts,” he says, slumping into the living room sofa and turning the television on to the food channel.

“Ah, sorry to hear that, sweetie.”

Noticing nothing good is on the food channel, Carlos flips through the channels, eventually stopping on the Lifespan network after Elena insists on watching her typically cheesy romantic comedies.

“I don’t know how you can watch this stuff,” he complains. “These stories are so unrealistic. ‘Oh look at me, going for a jog. Oh, whoops I bumped into a stranger and now we’re in love. Kiss, kiss, let’s get married and have twenty babies. Ooh.’ What a load of crap.”

Elena adjusts herself to face her brother. “You are extra bitter today. What happened? Other than work. Tell the truth.”

“What truth? I just think these movies are dumb,” he says with a shrug.

“That’s not what you said last week when we watched _Love Eventually_ , remember?”

Carlos groans and looks up at the ceiling, huffing and crossing his arms. “Yeah, well that movie was well-written and not predictable and stupid like this junk.”

“All right, whatever you say, dude,” she says, throwing her hands up in defeat. “I’m just thinking there’s something bothering you that isn’t work related and you’re not telling me.”

At this point, Carlos grabs a cushion and presses it into his face, a muffled “leave me alone” escaping his lips as Elena rolls her eyes and turns off the TV. “Fine, I’ll go watch in my room, you fun-killer.”

Carlos knocks quietly on James’ office door the next day.

“Come in,” James says in a sing songy voice and Carlos smiles at his cheerfulness this morning. “Oh, hey Carlos. What’s up?”

“Hey. I was just wondering if you wanted to get lunch today. I kinda wanna go down and try out some of the food trucks downstairs,” he says.

James looks up at him with a guilt-ridden expression. “Ooh, sorry, buddy. I’ve got a lunch date with that girl I met at the park yesterday.”

“Oh,” Carlos replies, his face changing from smiley and excited to disappointed. “Where ya going? Chez Fancee?”

“Actually,” James says, “we’re going to Chili Cheese Factory.”

Carlos scrunches his nose and walks toward James’ chair, leaning forward and placing the back of  his hand against his forehead. “Hey, you okay there? Got a fever or something?” he says, continuing to check for signs of a high temperature along the rest of James’ face.

James grabs Carlos’ wrist and gently pushes his hand away. “I’m fine! Elise just wanted to go get chili cheese fries and I agreed to it.”

“So you’re _not_ trying to impress her?”

James shakes his head. “I guess I don’t really need to. She’s extremely easy-going anyway, doesn’t expect much from me. I mean we just met but I think she likes me.”

“You think _everyone_ likes you,” Carlos says, giving James a judgmental look.

“Yeah…did you know she used to play hockey?”

“I’ve never met her, so no. I didn’t. But now I do. Did you know _I_ used to play hockey?”

James snaps out of his daydream and looks at Carlos for once. “Did you? How come you’ve never told me this?”

“I don’t know. It never came up. I did, though. For four years. Right wing. I still have my helmet hanging up in my room. It doesn’t fit anymore, but I keep it because it’s important to me. I loved hockey,” he says, sighing as he reminisces about his hockey-playing days.

“So what happened that made you stop?” James asks, his tone changing to quiet concern.

“School. Academics. Putting books before skates. I miss it but it was for the best. Besides, I could probably still strap on a pair of skates and kick your butt.”

James’ eyes widen as he shakes his head. “I don’t doubt that. I’m not good at sports.”

Carlos laughs quietly and sighs, wishing he could go back to playing even if just for a few minutes.

“Oh, gotta go,” James says suddenly, snapping Carlos out of his daze. “See you later. I’ll let you know how my date goes.”

“Yay,” Carlos says with a smile and a thumbs-up. “Awesome.”

 

“So tell me more about your hockey days,” James says leaning in closer to Elise.

“Not much to tell, really. Played left wing, kicked a lot of ass, won a few championships, no big deal,” she says with a shrug, popping a forkful of fries into her mouth.

James swallows the bit of food he has in his mouth. “I don’t know, that sounds like a pretty big deal to me. Carlos used to play hockey, too, you know?”

“Oh? I like this guy. When are you gonna introduce us?”

“That depends. How long are you planning on sticking around?” James says with a bright smile.

“Well if you keep buying me chili cheese fries…we’ll see,” she says with a laugh and James laughs with her, hoping it’s not a joke.

After finishing lunch, the two head back toward the park where they met. James hugs Elise goodbye, holding on just a little too tight and for too long, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Once they separate, he holds her by the arms and leans in, giving her a soft, gentle kiss on the lips. The first thing James sees when he opens his eyes is Elise smiling shyly up at him.

“I’ll see you later, James,” she says and gives him a kiss on the cheek as she walks away.

 

Carlos is organizing some files on his computer when James comes barging in, startling him with a very loud “hello”.

“Date when well, I presume?” he says, not bothering to look up at James while he drags and drops files from one folder to the other.

“It went amazing!” James exclaims, then leans in close to Carlos and whispers, “I kissed her.”

Carlos lets go of the mouse and turns to look James in the eye. “Good for you.”

James backs away from Carlos’ personal space and crosses his arms. “What are you being so grumpy for?”

“I’m not,” Carlos says, exhaling loudly. “I’m just…it’s been a busy week and it’s gonna keep being busy and you’re going off on chili cheese dates while I sit on my butt doing all this work, Kendall’s being annoying as usual, and these _stupid_ braces are irritating me!” He pokes around his mouth with a finger before slamming his head down on his keyboard, typing a string of nonsense in one folder’s label.

James looks at him with concern, wondering if perhaps he’s been taking it just a bit too easy while his assistant steps up and does all of the work for the upcoming shoot. He kneels down beside Carlos’ chair and places a comforting hand on his arm. Carlos peeks through one of his arms and sees him.

“What are you doing?” he asks quietly.

“Trying to calm you down,” James answers. “You’ve been on edge since yesterday and I just want to make sure you don’t overwork yourself.  I don’t want you dying of exhaustion on me, all right? If you feel like you need a break, just let me know. I’m sorry I’ve been so absent lately, I just…figured you had it all together.”

Carlos raises his head and looks at James, an expression of guilt covering his face. After all, it was his idea to send James on a walk. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s his own. “No. No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t be so bothered by it, really. It was me who sent you on that walk and I have no right to be upset with you for having a personal life.”

“Well, either way. If you need a break, just tell me. You work your ass off so much and I can’t thank you enough, so asking for one isn’t too much to ask, okay?”

Carlos leans his head on his hand and smiles warmly at James. “Thank you.”

“You wanna take Chewie for a walk? I know you love that big furball. Besides, the fresh air might help you relax.”

“That sounds good,” Carlos says and James hands him the keys to his apartment. “Be back in a little bit.”

James reaches out to grab Carlos by the arm as he walks away, pulling him back gently. “Take your time,” he says and Carlos sighs quietly.

 

Carlos takes Chewie to the park, making sure to keep him close by so that he doesn’t accidentally trip someone with is leash. “Come on, boy. Let’s go,” he says when the dog stops to sniff a bug on the sidewalk.

“Chewie!”

Startled, Carlos looks in the direction of the voice, only to see a woman about his height. Her brown hair is tied back in a ponytail and she wears a headband to push her bangs back. He wonders how this woman knows Chewie, then it hits him.

“Uh, hi,” he says and extends a hand for her to shake.

“Hi,” she replies and shakes his hand vigorously. “I’m Elise. You must be Carlos. I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah,” she says enthusiastically. “James won’t stop talking about you.”

Carlos smiles at the thought. “Likewise,” he tells her.

“So, what? Does he have you on dog walking duty now? He really _is_ a spoiled rich boy, isn’t he? Making his assistant walk his dog.”

“No, no. Not at all. I actually kind of asked him if I could. Work’s stressful so he offered to let me take Chewie for a walk to calm my nerves.”

Elise puts her hand over hear heart and sighs a little. “Aww, what a sweetheart! He’s a really great guy, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Carlos replies, looking down at the ground in front of him and kicking a leaf away from Chewie’s mouth. “Um, listen. It was nice meeting you but I really have to get going. We have a huge photo shoot happening this week and I need to send some more emails and stuff.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, it was nice meeting you, Carlos! Hopefully we’ll get to talk some more soon!” she says with a wave and jogs away and Carlos stands next to Chewie, who nuzzles his face into his hand.

“Whoops, we better get going!” he says while looking at his watch.

 

“Back!” Carlos calls out from his desk in front of James’ office.

“Oh, hey. How was your walk? Did you get a chance to clear your head?”

“Sorta,” he replies. “You’ll never guess who I ran into.”

“Hmmm…someone famous?” James says.

Carlos shakes his head. “Elise.”

“What? That’s crazy. Did you talk to her?”

“Yep. Got to know her a little. She seems nice,” he says, handing James his apartment key.

“Thanks. Yeah, she really is. You guys should go out sometime. You have more in common than you realize.”

“I’ll…take that into consideration,” Carlos replies and sits down in his desk chair, getting back to labeling folders and sending mass emails about the week’s photo shoot. He clicks his tongue while typing and James can’t help but peek out of his office door to listen carefully and admire the way he absentmindedly makes the most obnoxious sounds when he’s deep in concentration.

 

Two weeks later, with the photo shoot done and sent off to the advertising team, the company is back to its regular schedule; still hectic but not unbearable. Carlos, however, doesn’t seem to have come back from being on edge all the time and James worries about his health.

“Are you sure you don’t need a vacation?” he asks, holding onto Carlos’ shoulder for comfort.

“No. No, no, no. None of that stuff. I don’t believe in unnecessary vacations,” Carlos replies and James gives up.

“I really can’t think of any other way to help you get out of this funk, Carlos.”

Carlos rolls his eyes. “What funk? I’m fine! Why’s everyone getting on my case all of a sudden?”

“See? This is exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve been so moody and defensive. I just want to make sure you’re okay,” James says, rubbing Carlos’ shoulder gently.

Carlos’ eyes close at the touch and he sighs deeply. “I’m sorry. I really don’t know what’s gotten into me. I just-“

James leans forward when Carlos throws himself into his arms, sobbing. He wraps them around Carlos, bringing him in closer and presses his chin to the top of his head, sighing. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Carlos squeaks in reply and sobs again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, Carlos. It’s not your fault,” James says, taking on a comforting tone as he tries to calm his nerves.

“Knock, knoc-is everything okay?” a voice calls from the doorway and James looks up to see Elise standing in it, a look of concern on her face. “Is he all right?”

“It’s complicated,” James says, still holding onto Carlos, who manages to bury his face deeper into his shirt the second he hears Elise speak. “Look, I really need to be with Carlos right now. Is there any chance you can take a raincheck on lunch?”

Elise looks disappointed but she nods. “It’s totally fine. We’ll catch up over the phone later?”

James nods and mouths an apology to her and she blows a small kiss at him on her way out.

 

The next day, Carlos is eating lunch and reading a newspaper when Kendall sneaks up behind him and whispers in his ear.  “Let’s take her down.”

“What?!” he replies, startled and confused.

“Elise,” Kendall says, rolling his eyes. “Let’s get rid of her. C’mon. I know you want to.”

Carlos puts the newspaper down and glares at him. “Kendall, you’re insane. I am _not_ getting rid of James’ girlfriend…no matter how much I want to sometimes.”

“Oooh, ya jealous?” he asks.

Carlos looks at him sternly, thinking to himself for a few seconds before answering. “No. Not really. I just feel like James has been distracted ever since they started dating. He keeps forgetting things and zoning out and it’s hard to get anything done when he’s daydreaming half the time.”

Kendall scoffs and pulls up a chair, inviting himself to take a seat next to Carlos. “I can help you get rid of her if you want. I can kick ass when I need to.”

“Kendall, violence isn’t very helpful,” Carlos replies, pulling himself further away from him. “I just need to talk to James and let him know how I feel and then hopefully he’ll get back to normal. Or try, at least.”

“Psht, yeah. Sure. That’s gonna happen.”

“Go away, will you? You’re bothering me.”

“Jeez, okay. I’m gonna go find Camille then. You’re boring,” he says and stands up from the chair he’s straddling, shoving it haphazardly into the table next to them.

He waves sarcastically at Kendall as he walks away and sees Kelly walking up to his table, thankful for a friend with whom he can talk.

“Ugh, he is so annoying,” Carlos says with a groan as Kelly pulls up the chair Kendall tossed aside.

“I know. I’ve had it with him and his bitchy little attitude since the first day he started working here.”

“I was talking about James,” he replies and takes a bite of his turkey and avocado sandwich.

Kelly looks at him, confused. “What did James do?”

“Nothing,” Carlos says with a mouthful of sandwich before swallowing it. “That’s exactly why he’s annoying me.”

“Wait, I’m confused.”

Carlos huffs and slams the sandwich down onto the plate and Kelly backs up a little bit from where she’s sitting, scared of this angry side of him. “Sorry. He’s just so preoccupied with his girlfriend that he doesn’t do any work around the office and I’m stuck with a buttload of it while he does nothing but take her out whenever he gets the chance.”

“So tell him about it! Let him have it. Don’t let him stick you with all the work. He’syour boss, but he’s still in charge of this company…sort of. Just cause he’s got a co-president doesn’t mean he can just sit on his butt all day,” Kelly says.

“Yeah,” Carlos says, furrowing his brow. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m not gonna let him sit on his pretty butt all day and do nothing.”

“ _Pretty_ bu-“

“I’ll see you later, Kelly. Bye!”

 

“Hey, James,” Carlos says when he gets back to his office. “Do you think you can take a look at some of these papers?”

“Ah, sorry, I can’t. I have an appointment with my jeweler,” he says as he looks at himself in the mirror and adjusts his tie.

“The jeweler?” Carlos asks, wondering how diamonds could possibly be more important than work and James looks back at him, raising both eyebrows in response.

“Oh. Oh!” he says, finally realizing what James is planning. “Well, can’t that wait for a bit? My work keeps piling up and I need you to sign off on some stuff and-“

“Can’t _that_ wait, Carlos? Why do we spend so much time working? What’s the point of wasting our lives away at some silly job?” James responds and Carlos has had enough.

“No. No, it can’t wait, okay? You have a _job_ to do whether you like it or not! I’m busting my ass over here trying to make you look good and you keep disappearing on me to buy some expensive jewelry for your girlfriend who probably doesn’t even _care_ about diamonds, other than you, of course. So, no, James. It can’t wait.”

James scoffs in response, crossing his arms and glaring at Carlos and Carlos is sure he’s done it this time. “Carlos. Carlos, Carlos, Carlos,” James says, walking over to him and grabbing him by the arms. “Life’s too short.” He pats him on the cheek and walks out of his office, completely ignoring every word Carlos has just said to him.

 

An hour later, Carlos is still typing away furiously when James comes back. He’s recently started a[blog](http://cd-garcia.tumblr.com/) and most of his entries up until today have been positive. This one, however, is positively venomous, a rant about how selfish and immature James is. He’s not sure if he should post it but when James comes waltzing in carrying a light blue bag, he hits “send” and there’s no turning back.

“Pick out a nice ring while I was busy working, James?”

“Yes! Come look at it,” he says and Carlos reluctantly follows behind, closing the door and drawing the curtains at James’ request. James excitedly opens the box, revealing a three-carat, yellow diamond ring set in platinum. The outside is lined with smaller white diamonds and the inscription inside reads “fancy bumping into you”, a sentiment at which Carlos can’t help but smile.

“You really love her, don’t you? Carlos asks softly.

“Yeah,” James replies, nodding as he carefully closes the box and Carlos feels a pang of guilt go through him when he realizes he’s just painted his boss, his _friend_ as a selfish monster for everyone on the internet to see.

“Um. I’m, I’m gonna get back to work now,” Carlos says and James frowns when notices the expression on his face.

“Hey, are you okay?” James asks.

“Yeah,” Carlos says with a sigh. “Yeah, I just…have to take care of something. I still have a lot to do so just call me if you need me.” He opens the curtains again and closes the door behind him, James watching him the entire way. James is concerned now, unsure of what could be troubling him and he opens his computer to find several alerts of his name popping up. He follows a link to one of them and sees the offending post comes from Carlos’ blog. James picks up his office phone and pages Carlos to come in.

“Is this really how you feel about me?”

“I did,” Carlos replies when he walks in. “At least until I saw how in love you are. I’ve been there before. It’s…distracting and I understand. I just wish you wouldn’t put your love life so far ahead of work. I can only do so much, James. I’m just one person. I can’t do all of this by myself. I need your help, I need _you_.”

James exhales deeply and looks up at Carlos. “I’m sorry. I’m really, _really_ sorry. But why didn’t you talk to me?”

“I did! But you didn’t listen. And I guess that’s why I wrote what I wrote. Because I felt like you were pushing me aside. I felt like I didn’t mean anything to you anymore and honestly, that just…that hurt so much.”

“Hey, listen. I _do_ need you and I’m not pushing you aside! It’s hard to balance things sometimes and you know I’m not exactly a pro at this job. So, I mean. What can I do to make it up to you?” James asks.

“I don’t know,” Carlos replies, stroking his chin dramatically and eliciting a loud chortle from James. “Get me a…gift basket or something.”

“Done!”

“Make sure it’s one of those ones with the cheese and those weird little sausages,” Carlos says, smiling gently at James from across his desk. “Sorry for overreacting.”

“No, it’s fine,” James says, shaking his head.  “I’m sorry for neglecting my responsibilities and putting all this stress on you. I know you’re good at what you do. I guess I just kinda figured you’d take care of everything for me like you usually do.”

Carlos walks around the corner of James’ desk and sits on the edge, coming down to eye level with his friend. “I’m not gonna be around forever, you know? Someday, I’m getting a promotion and maybe a different job cause god knows I don’t wanna work in cosmetics for the rest of my life. We might still be friends, James, but you need to know how to function without me. I’m just an assistant, and that implies that you have to do at least most of the work around here.”

James leans over and places his hand over Carlos’. “No, you might just be an assistant in title, but you are so much more than that. You’re a friend, a confidant, a shoulder to lean on. You are so much more to me than just my assistant. I hope you know that.”

“I do now,” Carlos says with a shy smile. “Thanks, James.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just telling the truth.”

Carlos sighs and hops off of James’ desk before walking back towards his own. He turns around when he reaches the doorway. “Hey, nice talk and all but can I still get that snack basket?”

James laughs as Carlos walks back to his desk, and for now, things appear to be better. Carlos issues a retraction on his blog soon afterwards, making sure he reminds James about the basket.

 

The next night, James takes Elise to dinner. She’s a bundle of nerves as she’s meeting Edward and Brooke, two very high-class people, for the first time and she’s not sure how to behave around them.

“Please relax, Elise,” James says as they ride the company car to Chez Fancee. “You’re crushing my hand.”

“Sorry,” she says. “I’m just nervous. I’ve never met real life rich people before. Am I dressed okay? I don’t look run down or like I just got out of bed or anything?” James looks at her and smiles. Her hair is down for a change and styled into loose waves, a short, black dress accentuates her small frame and she’s wearing just enough make-up so that it looks natural and not too overdone.

“You look beautiful,” he assures her and gives her a small kiss on the forehead.

“Aww, shucks,” she replies and gives a kiss to James’ cheek.

James opens her door when they arrive at the restaurant and helps her out of the car. They step up to the host at the front and he leads them to the table where James’ parents are waiting.

“Mom, Dad, this is Elise. My girlfriend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Elise,” Brooke says, sitting back down after shaking hands with her. Edward offers a quiet “hello” and a handshake as well and Elise looks down at the ground, thinking she must have messed something up.

“Not your usual type, James, is she?” Edward says and James flushes with embarrassment.

“Dad…”

“No, it’s okay,” Elise says. “I do realize, Mister Diamond, that I’m not your son’s type. I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve read the articles, I’ve heard the gossip. He usually likes ‘em tall and blonde, right? I’m short and brunette so I’m probably the least likely candidate to date your son. I guess…I guess he just sees something in me that those other girls don’t have.”

James points at Elise. “That. That’s what you have that I haven’t seen in anyone else. She knows how to stand up for herself, dad. I’m hoping she can teach me her magic ways.”

“You’ll have to excuse my ex-husband,” Brooke says with a smile. “He’s not very good at being tactful.”

Elise flips through the menu in front of her, then looks up from behind it. “That’s okay. We all have our flaws, Mister Diamond.”

James chuckles and covers his mouth in a futile attempt at masking his amusement and Edward glares at him from across the table. James clears his throat. “So, um, what looks good?”

“Not your chances for getting my approval, that’s for sure.”

 

As the dinner progresses, the tension dissipates, and Elise and James manage to convince Edward to take it easy on her. He goes on to explain that it’s not that he’s entirely heartless; he just has high expectations for his son. James lets him know that no expectations will make him change his mind about dating Elise, and Edward agrees that she must be very special if she can make him stand up for what he believes in that way.

“I can’t believe you stood up to my dad like that,” James says as the two walk back to the company car. “He probably would have found some way to get rid of you, you know? He’s a very powerful man.”

“What? Like…murder?”

“No. No! I mean he’d probably like, ban you from my family or something. Nothing that drastic but still bad.”

Elise sighs and takes James by the hand, walking slowly in order to take in the stillness of the night. “Well, I hope I never get banned from your family. That would suck cause I like you an awful lot.”

“So do I,” James says, turning to face her and gently cupping her face in his hands. “I love you,” he says and kisses her softly, pulling her in closer.

“I love you,” she replies and the two head into the car that’s waiting for them. Elise rests her head on James’ shoulder the entire ride to her apartment and James can’t help but feel like he’s the luckiest guy in Minneapolis and maybe even the entire world.


	7. Lose/Change

The next two months at Diamond prove to be a trying time for everyone who works there. Griffin is still partly in charge and making outrageous demands from the research lab, including a cream that can make your nose smaller. No one on the research team even knows if this is possible, though Griffin insists that if he doesn’t find a cure for a big nose, his wife’s snoring might keep him up for the rest of his life. Carlos once opens his mouth to correct Griffin on the anatomy that makes snoring possible but James covers it, telling him it’s best to let him believe what he wants to believe.

James and Elise are settled into a comfortable relationship and Carlos is happy for the both of them. Kendall, on the other hand is seething with jealousy and Camille does her best to calm him down whenever the two walk in together after lunch.

“Look, just don’t think about too much. I got you one of those squeezy ball things so you can de-stress,” she tells Kendall one day.

Kendall snatches the stress relief ball from her hand and squeezes it forcefully and repeatedly, and Camille is sure he’ll go through one in a matter of minutes. Luckily, she’s prepared and gives her friend an entire basketful.

“Thanks, Camille,” Kendall says, still squeezing away at the ball. “I’m just so annoyed because there’s nothing I can do. I’ve tried posing seductively on his desk and he just yelled at me about ruining his papers. Then one time I tried to make eye contact and seduce him with my look, but he thought I was choking on a donut. At least he touched me when he tried to give me the Heimlich.”

“Kendy, you’ve got to set your sights on someone else,” Camille says.  “James has clearly moved on and you’re doing nothing but hurting yourself. If he can’t see what an amazing guy you are, then he’s stupid. I mean he’s dating a nobody and I’m pretty sure he’s in love with Carlos so I wouldn’t trust his taste.”

“I know but-wait what? He’s in love with Carlos?”

Camille rolls her eyes and reaches over Kendall’s desk to pick up a handful of chocolates from a bowl he keeps nearby. “I don’t know. Probably not, but he acts like it. Look at them, giggling it up over there. They might as well just kiss!”

James and Carlos turn around simultaneously when they hear Camille yell in their direction. Carlos rolls his eyes and James leans in, lips puckered. Carlos playfully smacks him on the arm. and they share a laugh as Camille and Kendall look on in disgust.

“Ugh, they’re so gross and adorable,” Camille says with a mouthful of chocolate. “I can’t stand them.”

 

“Gross? Yes. Adorable? No,” Kendall replies. “Not with that creature being a half of that pair.”

On the other side of the reception area, James and Carlos are discussing ways to cut back on costs at Diamond. A month after Griffin’s rise to power, the company incurred substantial losses in advertising and sales, prompting James, Carlos, and Brooke to group together and try to sort out a plan to get the company back.

“I guess we can…ugh, I don’t know, James. I’m not comfortable talking about this here,” Carlos says, scanning the ceiling above them. James looks up to see what Carlos is looking for but finds nothing except for the sprinklers and light fixtures that usually hang there. “He probably has spy cameras everywhere. I bet he bugged my candy jar.” Carlos reaches into his desk and pulls out a container full of round chocolate candies. “Any one of these little guys could be a microphone, James. I could have _eaten_ one. He’s probably listening to me right now. I’m a human bug!”

“Carlos, calm down!” James says, grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him gently.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so paranoid. Ever since I saw _SpyBikes 3,_ I’ve been on edge.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have recommended that to you. Great special effects, though.”

Carlos wraps both arms around himself in an attempt to muffle any sounds that his imaginary inner microphone can pick up. “Yeah, maybe _too_ great.”

“Okay, okay. Fine. We’ll work somewhere else. Why don’t you come over to my place after work and we can think something up. I’ll order from your favorite Chinese place and you can play with Chewie. We have a good time, get rid of...,” James looks around and leans in to whisper, “you know who. Everybody wins.”

“Except for… _him_ ,” Carlos says as he nods, agreeing to meet up with James afterwards. “It’s a date, then.”

James walks toward his office, shaking his head. “I have a girlfriend.”

“Shut up,” Carlos replies, throwing a paper ball at the back of his head. He jumps and claps in excitement at hitting his target. “Aw yeah, C-Gizzle in the house.”

James peers out from behind his office door. “Don’t ever say that again.”

“Duly noted,” Carlos replies, sitting down at his desk chair and picking up his phone. “Hi, Papi. I’m working late today so I won’t be home for dinner…yeah…yeah sorry,” he says, twirling the cord around his finger. “I really wish I could be there but James needs me to do something for him and it’s super important,” he says, then sits up straight when he hears Elena chattering on about how he may as well be dating James in the background. “What? Elena, shut up.” He hears Horacio scold her and smiles in satisfaction. “Save me a few enchiladas for lunch tomorrow? Okay, I love you. Bye.”

After work, James and Carlos head to James’ apartment.  Carlos goes to his apartment regularly to pick up things that he’s left behind on several occasions so he’s used to being there. He’s still not used to the size of it, though, so every time he steps off of the elevator and the doors open, he stands still for a few seconds to take it all in. Carlos’ favorite thing to do is to go out on the balcony and watch the city. This time James join him.

“It’s nice, isn’t it? Watching all of this from up here?” James says, turning to face Carlos on his left. "I don’t really do it a lot, but Elise has been trying to get me to. She says it’s a good way to relieve stress.”

Carlos exhales and nods. “She’s right. It’s peaceful and quiet but it’s still such a city thing. There are cars going by, people talking, everything you can expect from a city sidewalk but twenty five stories up from the ground. It’s almost surreal really. Like there’s an invisible sidewalk right outside your window and all of these sounds are coming from an imaginary world. Only they never bother you, they just exist. Doing their own thing and never noticing you. It’s kinda creepy. But it’s still nice.”

“You have a way with words, Carlos. I’d probably never have thought of it that way.”

“I do a lot of thinking,” Carlos says, turning around so he’s now face-to-face with James. “You should try it sometime.”

James turns back around to face the city and reaches out to pull Carlos close. “You know what I think?”

“What?” Carlos replies, leaning slightly away and avoiding eye contact with him.

“I think we should order our food because I am hungry.”

Carlos sighs in relief and nods in agreement. “Good thought.”

Thirty minutes later, their food arrives and the two sit on the floor in front of James’s couch, using the coffee table to rest their drinks. Chewie joins them, sniffing around and sticking his nose in their plates while they try their best to keep the food from him. Carlos opts for chow mein and orange chicken, while James goes for the broccoli chicken and white rice. Carlos pokes fun at James’ plain side dish choice but James insists that sometimes a little plainness can complement something so rich.

“Okay, don’t get all fortune cookie on me,” Carlos says with a mouthful of noodles. “Mmm, read yours!”

James puts down his fork and picks up a cookie, not so carefully unwrapping it and breaking it open with one hand. “Okay, let’s see. ‘Beauty in its various forms appeals to you’. Hmm. Interesting. Yours next!”

“’Every flower blooms in its own sweet time.’ I like that. Patience. Patience is good. And so is this chicken,” Carlos says, then shoves a piece in his mouth.

“You have to teach me how to use chopsticks someday, Carlos. I feel so dorky using a fork and there you are all…cultured and smart.”

“It’s not that hard.”

James chuckles. “Nothing’s too  hard for you. You’re good at _everything_.”

Carlos swallows the bit of food he has in his mouth and glares at James. “Not everything. I’m pretty bad at drawing. I can’t dress, and I’m pretty sure I’m not very good-looking, so…”

“Yes you are,” James says, scowling.

“No, James. It’s fine. I’m totally comfortable being ugly,” Carlos replies, gently shoving Chewie away as he tries to stick his nose in his plate of food. “It’s who I am. I’m never gonna look like you and I’m okay with that.”

James puts his plate down on the coffee table in front of them and turns to look at Carlos, who looks up at James with a curious expression and half of a noodle sticking out of his mouth. “I don’t think you’re ugly. Not at all. It’s true, you’re no…me. But you’re still attractive. You have a really nice smile and your eyes kinda sparkle when you’re happy.”

Carlos looks down at his orange chicken, embarrassed and smiling and James can tell he’s blushing and just a little bit uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. That was completely out of line.”

“No, no. No, it’s-it’s okay. I’m just not used to compliments, I guess. Especially coming from you.”

“I meant all of that, you know?” James says, smiling warmly at Carlos. “Maybe not everyone sees what I do, but that’s cause they’re stupid. And anyone who can’t see you for more than what you’re wearing doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

Carlos smiles back at James and the two sit together in silence for a few seconds before James’ phone rings. Startled, James reaches for his pocket and pulls it out, seeing Elise is calling before remembering he promised to meet her for dinner at her place. “Shit!” he yells and Carlos quietly leaves the room, taking Chewie with him so that James can talk in private.

“Hi, Elise. Hey. What’s up?”

“What’s up is that you were supposed to meet me for dinner an hour ago and you…never showed up.”

“I am _so_ sorry. I just have this big, important project for work and Carlos came over to help and-“

“Carlos? Is he there right now? Can I talk to him?” she asks, entirely unconvinced that James is telling the truth and secretly hiding a model in his bedroom.

“Yeah. Yeah, sure. He’s right here. Carlos!”

Carlos hears James’ yell and heads back into the living room. “What’s going on?”

“Elise wants to talk to you,” James says and hands Carlos the phone, though Carlos is trying his best to stay as far away from it as possible. He’s racked with guilt over interrupting their dinner night, a fact he should have noticed when he made James’s schedule on Monday. Finally, Carlos grabs the phone and puts it to his ear.

“H-hello?”

“Oh. You really are there. That…makes me feel marginally better.”

Carlos sighs. “I’m sorry. I really am. I should have known that tonight was a night for you guys and I totally spaced out. I can’t tell you how horrible I feel, Elise.”

“You know what?” Elise says, and Carlos mentally prepares for a tongue lashing. “It’s fine. As long as he’s with you and not with some model he met at work, I guess I can live with it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about James,” Carlos says as he silently sighs in relief. “He’s done with that. He really loves you, you know?”

“I know,” Elise says, “but sometimes it’s hard to compete with girls who look like that when I’m no prize pig myself.”

“Yeah,” Carlos replies. “I know that feeling all too well. But you? You’re gorgeous! You have nothing to worry about, trust me.”

“Well, thank you Carlos. I appreciate that. Can I talk to James now?”

“Yeah. Sure,” Carlos says, taking the phone away from his ear and handing it back to James with a wink and pat on the shoulder.

“Elise,” James says. “Please don’t ever feel like you’re not good enough for me. You’re perfect for me. We’re perfect for each other. I love you so much and no model can ever make me feel otherwise.”

Carlos gently rubs behind Chewie’s ears while James talks on the phone next to him. He looks up at him and smiles, proud of how far his friend has come since the first day he met him. Elise definitely brings out the best in him and he’s happy that James has changed. He’s no longer shallow and emotionally distant; he’s kind, caring, and loyal and while Carlos watches and listens to him express himself with such sincerity and passion, he sees James in a whole new light.

“I love you,” James tells Elise before hanging up the phone and Carlos feels a pang in his stomach when he turns around, smiling and offering a thumbs up. “Thanks, Carlos. You saved the day again. As always.”

“My pleasure,” he replies with a smile. “Hey, we should get to work. Don’t wanna stay up too late, huh?”

“Right. I’ll go get my computer.”

 

The next three hours are spent working on a plan to get rid of Griffin. Carlos figures out the fiscal side of things while James gathers quotes from product reviews and displeased loyal customers. James calls Brooke and the two discuss a way they can find a loophole in order to get his mother sole ownership of the company while Carlos searches for the same thing on legal websites. Eventually, their research winds down for the night, having found a few loopholes and evidence necessary to dethrone Griffin.

“Hey, we did good work today, I’d say,” James says and Carlos responds with a high-five and a smile.

“Yes, now how to we reward ourselves?”

“Movie?” James replies and brings up the streaming video on his TV. Carlos stares in awe at James’ technologically advanced home theater setup.

“Sounds good to me. Wow, you have a sweet system here. I wish I could afford something like this,” Carlos says and James makes a mental note of it.

“Okay, so what are we in the mood for?” James asks. “Action? Comedy? Romance?”

Carlos chuckles nervously when James mentions the last genre and decides that perhaps right now is not the best time for any sort of on-screen displays of affection. “Um, how about we watch a documentary?”

James groans and throws his head back. “Documentary? What is this? High school? Come on, we’re two guys hanging out together. We just put all this effort into doing research and you _still_ want to watch a movie about people researching things?”

“Fine. Fine, pick one then. Surprise me,” Carlos responds, and James selects _Night of the Breathing Deceased_.

“Okay,” Carlos says. “Zombies. Zombies are cool!”

James winks knowingly. “You like zombie movies? Man, I knew there was a reason I loved you so much.”

Carlos looks down at his feet and smiles softly. “Yeah…”

They watch the movie together, eventually drifting off to sleep on the couch and the next thing Carlos hears is a loud alarm coming from his right. He opens his eyes and looks out the window only to notice the sun is out and he nudges James from across the couch with his foot.

“Wake up, James! We overslept!” he says, stretching his arms and yawning loudly. His entire body aches from sleeping in an uncomfortable position and he grimaces when he tries to turn his head.

“Huh? What?” James says, still feeling the effects of sleep. “Oh, my god. It’s six in the morning? What the hell happened? How did we fall asleep during a zombie movie?”

Carlos shrugs. “I don’t know, I guess we were just tired from working all day. Crap, I don’t have time to go home and change. This is bad.”

“You can wear some of my clothes, I guess,” James says with a yawn.

“Dude, you’re like six inches taller than me and you wear black and grey suits. I think people will notice.”

“Then, uh,” James says, looking around the apartment trying to figure something out. “Look, just grab a sweater from my closet and put it on over your shirt or something. I don’t know, it’ll look a _little_ different at least.”

Carlos sighs and rolls his eyes. “Fine.”

When Carlos comes back out of James’ room, he’s wearing a dark blue sweater over his striped button-down. James suggests he skip the bow tie today to give the illusion of an entirely new outfit, though he’s still wearing the same pair of pants. The sweater fits him long; the sleeves go past his hands, but James rolls them up for him and it’s an easy fix.

“Hey, what size shoe do you wear?”

“Eleven, why?”

“Great, so do I. Go pick out a pair,” James says as he pushes Carlos back into the large, walk-in closet.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t-woah,” Carlos says as he faces an entire wall full of shoes. They’re separated by style and color, neatly organized within their own small compartments. After searching, and with a bit of James’ help, he picks out a pair of two-toned suede oxfords.

“Perfect,” James says. “Now let’s-“

“No,” Carlos responds. “We don’t have time to be playing dress-up. We have to get to work, come on!”

Carlos waits for James to get ready, adding an extra twenty minutes to their tardiness. “Don’t tell me you’re doing your hair. We don’t have _time_ , James. Come on! You know I hate being late.”

“Okay, okay. All right, I’m coming. Jeez,” James says, walking out of the bathroom. He adjusts his tie and looks in every possible reflective surface on the way down, fixing his hair, which is down today due to time constraints. Carlos grabs him by the wrist when he stops in front of the mirror in the lobby.

“Come _on_. How many times do I have to say it?!”

James and Carlos get in the car and the driver looks at them through the rear view mirror, squinting as he notices Carlos’ uncharacteristic lack of bright color in his clothing. “Going for a new look, mister García?” he says.

“Hmm? Oh, this? Yeah, I…just figured I’d try something new,” he replies, smiling and James feels like a proud parent for putting together the outfit. “Don’t get all smug just cause you picked this out.”

“What? You look good!”

Carlos smiles widely at James’ compliment and, he’s pretty sure, blushes a little because he hears James chuckle as he turns his head to look out the window.

At work, they decide to take separate elevators, just to make things seem less suspicious. Carlos is greeted by Kendall, who wastes no time in assessing his new outfit. “That’s James’ sweater,” he says and Carlos doesn’t know how to react. “And his shoes, too. Carlos, is there something the two of you need to tell us?”

Carlos rolls his eyes. “No, Kendall, there isn’t. We just stayed up late, working. Nothing else. Just work. And zombie movies but that’s it.”

“Okay, if you insist,” Kendall says, throwing his hands up defensively. “You look nice, by the way.”

“Well thank you, Kendall,” Carlos replies. “That’s very sweet of you.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

James walks in a few minutes later. “Morning, Kendall.”

“At least _you’re_ wearing your own clothes,” he says and James winces.

“You noticed?”

Kendall turns to face Carlos’ desk and nods. “He would never pick that outfit out alone. That’s got James Diamond written all over it. But don’t worry, he explained what happened.”

“You believe it, right?”

“Of course,” Kendall says with a scoff. “You would never…right?”

James takes a few seconds to connect the dots. “What? No. That’s-no. He’s my assistant. That would be way unprofessional. Besides, we’re just friends and I’m pretty sure he only sees me that way and why am I discussing this with you? I need to get to work. I’ll see you around.”

Kendall crosses his arms and stares at James as he walks toward his office. _There’s no way James and Carlos are fooling around,_ he thinks. _Is there?_

“I see Kendall caught on to us,” James says, approaching Carlos’ desk.

“Yeah,” Carlos replies. “But I explained everything, so it should be okay. I’m not sure he believes me but at least I’m telling the truth.”

“I’m glad. Don’t want any weird rumors going around, do we?”

Carlos shakes his head. “Nah, we do not.”

“Anyway, that would be terrible timing since I’m having an _extra_ special lunch with Elise today,” James says, wiggling his eyebrows. He notices Carlos is deep in thought, brow furrowed. “What, don’t tell me you don’t remember? The ring?”

“Oh!” Carlos says, and he stares wide-eyed at James. “That’s awesome! Good-good luck, buddy.” He slaps James on the shoulder just a bit too hard and James walks into his office, rubbing the soon-to-be bruise and turning to look back at Carlos, who still has an awkwardly forced smile plastered on his face.

Right as James sits at his desk, he gets a text from Elise asking how things had gone the night before. He replies, telling her it went well, but omits the part about accidentally falling asleep on the couch with Carlos. He asks her to meet him for lunch at Chez Fancee and Elise is hesitant at first, reminding James that French food isn’t exactly her favorite despite being half-French herself, but then relents when he promises her an extra special surprise dessert.

 

“Hey, Kendall,” James says when he sees him walk into his office a few hours later. “How can I help you?”

“I just came to see how you were doing,” he replies, leaning over his desk and running a hand slowly down his chest.

“Kendall…”

He leans over more to try to sit on his lap when he notices a small blue box sitting on the desk.

“What’s this?” he says, picking it up and getting back on his feet on the other side. “Buyin’ jewelry for the girlfriend?”

James reaches out to try to take the box away, scared of how he’ll react one he realizes what it contains, but he can’t reach and Kendall opens the box to find the ring James had bought two months ago. “Oh. Well. Congratulations. That’s-that’s great,” Kendall says, looking down at the ground in front of him and sighing.

“Is it?” James asks.

“No. Not really.”

“Look, you know that what you and I had was casual and I’m really sorry if I ever led you on,” James says, standing up from his desk and coming face to face with Kendall. “I just wasn’t ready for a relationship back then. I wasn’t planning on falling in love with Elise, it just happened.”

“Don’t try to spare my feelings. It wasn’t about being ready or not. You just didn’t feel anything for me, right?” Kendall asks and James finds himself unable to answer. “I figured. That’s all I ever am to anyone. Just a quick fuck buddy. I get it. I’m a big slut, I’m used to it.”

“No, Kendall, you’re not,” James replies and reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder but Kendall pulls away.

“How do you know that?” he says, finally mustering up the nerve to look James in the eye.

“Because. You’re a human being. You’re not just what everyone sees when they walk in. You have feelings and emotions and thoughts. And you’re passionate and you can be nice when you want to. Hey, if Carlos sees something in you that makes him keep trying to be your friend, then you must be a good guy.”

Kendall scoffs, rolling his eyes at yet another thing Carlos has that he doesn’t. “Thanks. It’s nice to know you measure everything in Carlos levels.”

“You know what I mean,” James says.

“Not really.”

James sighs, trying to come up with the proper words to explain his reasoning. “I’m saying that Carlos is a great judge of character. Yeah, he kinda hated you at first but once you started opening up a little, he realized you’re not all that bad. There’s something in you that’s just waiting to come out.”

“I’ll say,” he replies with a smirk.

“Kendall…”

“Sorry. Sorry. Force of habit.” He sighs. “I guess the two of us just weren’t meant to be together. You’re in a totally different place than I am. I just sort of thought that someday you’d finally see that I’m more than that. And you did. Just not at the right time.”

“You know, someday some guy is gonna be smart enough to figure all of that out at the right time,” James says and Kendall can tell he means it by the sincerity in his voice. It’s painful to see that James is settling down with someone else, but Kendall genuinely hopes for the best for him; it’s all he’s ever wanted.

“I hope so,” he says.

“It’ll happen. You deserve it,” James says and Kendall puts his hand out, box still attached to it. James gently squeezes it and takes the box back.

“Have a good lunch, James. And thank you,” Kendall says as he walks out of James’ office, quickening his pace when he passes Carlos’ desk and heading straight to the bathroom. Carlos notices this and stands up, walking quickly to catch up with him.

“Hey, are you okay?” he says, out of breath when he enters the bathroom and sees Kendall wiping at his eyes with a tissue.

“Go away, troll,” he says, but Carlos steps closer, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and that’s when Kendall crumbles, leaning his head on Carlos’ shoulder and sobbing into it.

Carlos nearly falls over at the weight but places his hand on Kendall’s back, rubbing gently to try and soothe him. “What’s wrong?”

“James. Is getting,” Kendall manages to choke out, but loses it at the last word, sobbing through each syllable. “Married.”

He cries into Carlos’ shoulder for the next few minutes, and Carlos is doing his best to try to calm him down, though he’s not sure if he’s all too excited about James’ proposal himself. He puts his own problems aside for the time being, however and tries to focus on Kendall, but quickly realizes his office phone is ringing.

“Kendall, do you think you can be okay by yourself for a little while? I _really_ need to go answer my phone,” he asks and Kendall backs away from his shoulder, wiping his face with his sleeve and clearing his throat.

“What? Yeah, I don’t need you. I can handle myself, García,” he says between quiet sobs and lip quivers and walks back to his desk. Carlos rolls his eyes and runs past him on the way out, answering the phone just in time.

“Hello?” he answers and sees James is on the way out of his office. “Actually, he just left. Can I take a message?” He mouths a silent “good luck” and waves before writing down the message and hanging up, then heads down to the cafeteria to meet up with Kelly.

“Hey, Kelly,” he says when he sees her in line. “I was thinking maybe we could have lunch up in James’ office today. He’s out with Elise so we should be done before he gets back.”

“Uh, sure,” she replies, looking at him suspiciously. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just need to talk to you alone,” he says, putting an apple on his tray as he reaches the end of the line. “There’s lots of nosy people here.”

 

Five minutes later, Carlos and Kelly are sitting at opposite sides of James’ desk. Kelly stares at Carlos as he eats his turkey and swiss cheese sandwich and continues to do so as the minutes tick by. No words have passed his lips since they’ve gotten upstairs and Kelly wonders if he’s forgotten or if he’s purposely avoiding the subject.

“So about that talk you wanted to have? When do we start talking?”

Carlos looks up from his lunch, finally meeting Kelly’s gaze and he freezes. A piece of lettuce sticks out from his mouth before he pops it back in and finishes chewing, swallowing it along with the rest of the food. “Right. Yeah, talking. We should…talk.”

Kelly nods slowly. “Yup.”

“I think I-“ he starts to say but stops again, and Kelly rolls her eyes.

“Hey, if you’re not ready we can save it for another time. No pressure.”

“No!” Carlos says, startling Kelly with the volume of his voice. “No. I need to get this out and I trust you so.” He closes his eyes and exhales deeply several times in a row in an attempt to calm his nerves. “I think-“

Kelly holds her hands out in anticipation, encouraging Carlos to spit it out before she chokes the words out of him.

“I think I have feelings for James,” he says quickly, then shuts his mouth and looks down at the desk, noticing a picture of James sitting on the desk. He puts his hands over it to cover it up, then looks back at Kelly, who’s sitting completely still except for an occasional blink or two.

“You what?” she says calmly after a minute of awkward silence and Carlos flinches, waiting for her to explode on him.

“I think I have-“

“I heard you! I just can’t believe what you’re saying to me, I-really? James?”

“What’s wrong with James?” Carlos asks.

“Well, he has a girlfriend for one. Two, he’s your _boss_ ,” Kelly says and Carlos nods along with her list of reasons. “And three, he’s notoriously promiscuous. I just don’t want you to get hurt. I’m sure he’s a great guy, though.”

Carlos looks down sadly. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. There’s way too much in the way for anything to happen between us. Besides, I’m totally not his type and he’s probably proposing to Elise as we speak. I just really care about him, you know? He’s changed so much since we first met and he’s so sweet and understanding now. It’s like Elise brings out this side of him that I’ve never seen before and I…love it.”

The phone rings on the other side of the door and Carlos bolts out to answer. “Hello? What? Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” she hears Carlos say and sees him running a hand nervously through his hair. “No, I’m fine. I’m at work, I just-no, please stop yelling at me, Elena, people are staring.” Sure enough, Kelly looks around and notices a few people staring in his direction. “I was with James…No, that’s not-nothing happened! Look, I’m fine. I’m at work. Tell papi I’ll be home later and that I’m sorry and that I love him, okay? I have to get back to work, bye.”

“You were with James last night?” Kelly asks when he walks back into the office.

“Yeah,” he replies. “But nothing happened. I swear. We ate Chinese food, watched a movie, and worked on a secret project that I’m not allowed to talk about but that’s it. Promise.”

“Okay, that better be true,” she says, then looks down at her watch. “Hey, you better get cleaned up, it’s almost time for James to come back.”

“Yippee,” Carlos says with a not-so-surprising lack of enthusiasm. He cleans the desk and helps Kelly tidy up around her side and they both head back down to the cafeteria to return the blue plastic trays.

“James, do you love me?” Elise says when they’re seated at a table at Chez Fancee.

“What? What kind of question is that?” James answers. “Of course I do.”

“You sure?” she asks and James notices a look of concern growing on her face.

“Absolutely. In fact, I have something I need to do,” he says, reaching into his pocket to pull out the blue box and kneeling in front of Elise. “I love you so much and –“

“I can’t do it,” she says suddenly and James is taken aback.

“What?”

“I can’t, James. I just can’t,” Elise says and quickly excuses herself from the table, pushing past other people in the restaurant on her way out. James follows after her, asking Jacques to put dinner on his tab. 

 

“Elise. Elise, wait! What do you mean you can’t?”

“I love you,” she replies.

“I love you, too,” James says and Elise shakes her head.

She stops and looks him in the eye, tears streaming down her face. “No, you don’t. Not the way you need to.”

James grabs her gently by both arms. “What are you talking about? I’ve never been more sure about my feelings than I am right now.”

“But what about later?” she asks, running a hand through her loose hair. “What about years down the line? Do you still see yourself with me?”

“Of course I do,” James says quietly.

Elise shakes her head. “No. No, you don’t.”

“Elise, please. I don’t know what else to say,” James says, letting go of her arms and taking her by both hands.  “Listen, I love you, okay? From the very first moment that we met, I knew that there was something special about you and now I know that it’s the fact that you make me feel like I’m the smartest guy in the world. Like I can do anything and go above and beyond anything I’ve ever done in the past. You have completely changed me as a person. I’m not the same guy I was a year ago. I’m not the same guy I was three _months_ ago, Elise and it’s because of you.”

“Partially,” she says.

“Please don’t-“ James says, knowing exactly where she’s going with this conversation.

She lets go of his hands and crosses her arms, sighing. “It’s Carlos, okay? I can’t compete with him. _He’s_ the one who has your heart, not me.”

“No. That’s ridiculous. He’s-he’s my assistant!”

“He’s your friend, too.”

James closes his eyes and exhales, attempting to calm himself down. “Yeah and that’s it!”

“Maybe I do make you different, James,” Elise says, “but so does he. And honestly, I don’t think I know you better than he does and you don’t know me better than you know him. Look, I love you…but we’re not meant to be together. Not forever.”

“Elise…”

“You just need to think. You need time and time away from me. You need to focus on what really matters most to you. _Who_ matters most to you. Like it or not, your heart is somewhere else and it’s not with me. But thank you. Because these past few months with you have been incredible and maybe if we’d taken it more slowly, I would have said yes. But you need to sort your feelings and I can’t wait for you to do that only to have you realize later in life that you made the wrong choice by marrying me. So I’m saying no and I understand if you hate me right now, but I can’t let you do this to yourself. You’ve changed so much and you’re still changing and tomorrow you might feel differently. So…goodbye, James,” she says and walks away, taking one last look at James behind her before shoving her hands in her pockets and hanging her head.

“Goodbye,” James says quietly at the place where she once stood, then takes the box with the ring inside of, wanting nothing more than to bury it, but he thinks twice and puts it back in his pocket.

 

Carlos sits up straight when James walks back in the office, waiting for him to happily announce his engagement, but when he walks past without a single word, sulking, Carlos know something’s wrong.

“Is everything okay, James?” he says quietly.

“She said no,” James replies and Carlos looks at him sadly. “She said no and she broke up with me.”

Carlos walks toward James desk and reaches out to place a hand on his, but James pulls away. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You know what? Just leave me alone,” James says quietly but Carlos can tell he’s angry.

“Look, I wanna be here for you and-“

“And you’ve been here for me enough. I think you’ve been here for me too much, actually. So from now on I would appreciate it if you’d stay out of my personal life. Just do your job and be ready when I need you for work.”

“I…yeah, sure,” Carlos says and his voice shakes. He bites his lip to hide the quivering and chokes back tears as he walks to his desk.

 

The next week is filled with awkward silences and glances between James and Carlos, neither of them willing to follow up on what happened. After work, James goes home to his apartment, and though he’s used to living alone, he’s never felt lonelier. Chewie keeps him company; snuggling up close when he feels James is in one of his moods and Brooke does her best to visit when she can, bringing him his favorite cookies from the bakery near her house just outside the city. James is grateful for the two of them, but he feels alone and empty, not to mention awful for the way he treated Carlos. He’s not sure if he’ll ever be forgiven.

Carlos stays at home, though he does go out to dinner with Kelly some nights. Horacio and Elena are comforting; offering home cooked meals and “spa nights” as Elena likes to call them and Carlos can’t be thankful enough that he has the support and closeness of his family. Losing James as a friend hurts him, but he tells himself he’ll eventually get over it and works toward finding new friends both at home and at work. He becomes closer to Camille and Kendall, who deny that they’re friends of his at all, but he knows that deep down inside they really care for him. Maybe just a little.

At work, Carlos is talking to Kendall at the desk about the possibility of getting an apartment closer to work now that he’s saved up. Kendall feigns disinterest, offering up a “yawn” whenever Carlos goes into the monetary details. James walks up to him a little while later, interrupting his one-sided conversation with Kendall. “Carlos, can we talk?” he says and Carlos excuses himself.

“Yes, sir. We may.”

James grimaces when Carlos calls him sir. He didn’t like it the first day and he doesn’t like it now, especially given the circumstances. They walk toward James’ office and he closes the door once they’re inside.

“How can I help you, mister Diamond?”

“Carlos, please don’t call me that,” he says, taking a seat at his desk. He pauses and gives Carlos a look when he doesn’t sit down right away, then sighs. “You may take a seat, Carlos.”

“Thank you, sir,” he says and takes a seat in the chair on the other side of the desk.

James sighs and looks at Carlos solemnly. “Look, this isn’t work related. I know I said some things that I shouldn’t have said and I am _so_ sorry about it. You didn’t do anything and I don’t want you to stay away.”

“I think you were pretty clear about those instructions,” Carlos says, blinking back tears.

“I was and it was…stupid,” James says, meeting Carlos’ gaze. “The truth is, I need you in my life. I miss you. You are one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I’m not the same guy I was when we first met.”

Carlos’ face softens when he hears those words, knowing all too well that James has changed; it’s what makes Carlos see him differently these days. He feels the same sensation he did a few weeks ago and he realizes that, though he’s been angry at James for leaving him behind, he still has feelings for him.

“I know. I’m glad. But hearing you say all of that stuff? That hurt. A lot.”

James nods slowly. “I can’t apologize enough. I don’t want to lose you. Your friendship means more to me than…a lot of things. Honestly. I really don’t know what I’d do without you some days and, frankly, I don’t know how I’ve survived these past couple of weeks at work. This’ll probably sound weird but I love you.”

Carlos smiles fully this time, revealing the same braces he’s had on for almost two years and James grins back, thankful to see his friend beaming the same way he had been before.

“I love you, too,” Carlos says and he’s never felt happier or more nauseated in his life.

James stands up and walks toward Carlos, extending his arms in anticipation of a hug. Carlos stands up, all but tackling him to the ground with the force of the squeeze as he buries his face in James’ new suit jacket. James wraps his arms around Carlos, resting his chin on top of his head and closing his eyes.

“Am I interrupting?”

James opens his eyes to see Brooke standing in the doorway, a look of amusement on her face. “Oh, hi, mom!” he says, then lets go of Carlos before hugging his mother. Carlos readjusts his glasses and waves hello.

“Hello, Carlos,” she says, smiling warmly. “It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has,” he replies, smiling back.

“I’m glad you two patched things up. I was starting to worry about James, you know? He’s been such a complete mess lately.”

James clears his throat. “Mom…”

“James, don’t be rude,” she says, glaring at him. “Carlos, I just wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

She places both hands on his shoulders and faces him. “For being there for James. For helping him become a better person. And for helping us try to kick Griffin’s ass.”

“Oh, shoot,” Carlos says, wide-eyed. “I almost forgot about that!”

“I haven’t,” Brooke responds, facing James now. “And I’ve found a loophole that puts me in sole ownership of this company but it’s going to take a while.”

“How much of a while?”

“Could be a year,” she says and James looks on in shock.

“That long, huh?” he asks and Brooke shakes her head sadly.

“It’s the only way, unfortunately, but it’s the right way and we have to be extremely careful, boys. Do you understand?”

James and Carlos both nod simultaneously, with Carlos offering a “yes, ma’am”.

“I’ll see you boys later, then,” she says and points at them with a wink before leaving the office.

James turns to Carlos. “Anyway, uh. I’m glad we’re okay again.”

“Me too,” Carlos says and gives James a quick hug before returning to his desk.

 

Once almost everyone is gone for the day, Carlos goes to James’ office to say goodbye.

“Hey! I’m heading home so if you need anyth-“ He notices James is facing the window behind his chair, and though he can’t see his face, he knows he’s not feeling well. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better,” he says, still facing the window and Carlos walks up to where he is, spinning the chair around to face him and leaning down so that they’re both at the same level.

“I know you’re still upset about Elise,” he says, “and I know it’s easier said than done but you have to move on. I can’t stand to see you like this. You don’t deserve it.”

James just sighs, looking into Carlos’ eyes, silently pleading for an escape from his miserable mood.

“Come on,” Carlos says, heading toward the door and grabbing James’ suit jacket from the rack next to it. “I’m taking you out.”

“Don’t you think we should get to know each other a bit better before you ask me out?” James asks.

Carlos heads back to James’ chair, jacket in tow, and lightly punches his arm as he pulls him up out of his seat, then holds his jacket out, waiting for him to finish sliding his arms through the sleeves before adjusting the collar.

“Thanks,” James says.

They head into the company car waiting outside for them, Carlos telling the driver to take them to the park. Once they arrive, Carlos thanks the driver and tells him to head home.

“Are we really gonna be out that long?” James asks as the driver pulls away.

“We have a _lot_ of talking to do so yes,” Carlos responds. “Yes, we are.”

James nods, understanding that Carlos is only trying to do what’s best for him. “Okay, so…where do we start?”

“You can start by talking about your feelings,” Carlos says and James throws his head back and groans as they walk along the bike path.

“Ugh, Carlos I don’t really wanna get into that again.”

Carlos stops, facing James and holding onto his arm for moral support. “James, you have to. You haven’t talked to anyone about it since it happened and I’m worried that if you don’t, it’s gonna eat away at you until you explode in some horrible way. You never even told me exactly what happened.”

“I’m still not entirely I understand what happened either,” he says with a sigh. “I thought that was it. I thought Elise was the love of my life. I never once thought about anyone else when I was with her. She was so…different than the other girls I’ve been with. She had substance, she wanted more than just to sleep with me, and I wanted that too. I thought we were on the same page, you know?”

“Yeah, I do,” Carlos says with a sympathetic nod. “That happened to me and Kyle.”

“Kyle?” James asks, and Carlos realizes he’s never told him about his ex-boyfriend.

James starts to walk again and Carlos follows, still keeping a grip on his arm. “My ex. He cheated on me with my high school bully. Can you imagine? That was easily the lowest I’d felt in years. Add to that the fact that I wasn’t getting any callbacks on jobs and my dad was struggling to pay the rent and well, I thought ‘what’s the point? Why am I still trying?’ But I didn’t give up and you know what? I landed a job working for you and I couldn’t be happier. I wouldn’t trade this job for the world.”

“Well, that’s stupid of him,” James replies, scrunching his nose up in disgust. “You really like it here that much, huh?”

Carlos nods. “I don’t think I’d love it so much if I was working for anyone other than you.”

“I’m not _that_ great of a boss, am I?” James asks jokingly, but Carlos answers honestly, with so much enthusiasm that James jumps slightly.

“Are you kidding? You’re the best! You care and you listen and you’re supportive and you motivate me. You’re not just my boss, you’re my best friend. And that might be blurring some company ethics here, but let’s face it. We couldn’t be closer. I mean unless…”

“Unless what?”

Carlos shakes his head, scolding himself for almost spilling his guts right there and then. This wasn’t the time or the place for those kinds of confessions, especially such a short time after James’ breakup. “Nothing, never mind. The point is I love working for you. I love being your friend and if it hadn’t been for those horrible things happening to me, I wouldn’t even be _talking_ to you right now. You have to let life run its course sometimes. Take the good with the bad, but try to keep the good with you and push the bad to the side. Life’s hard that way and you just have to learn how to deal with the stuff it throws at you. You see what it says up there on the bridge?”

“What does it say?”

“’It is like a reason that picks you up and places you where you always wanted to be,’” Carlos reads as they walk across, eyes fixed on the beams adorned with a poem that stretches from one side of the bridge to the other.

“Wow,” James says as he takes in the words.

Carlos nods and looks back down at James. “Exactly. So think about it. Maybe it’s not a good feeling right now but maybe…maybe someday you’ll look back on this and think ‘I wonder where I’d be right now if Elise hadn’t dumped me.’ You know? I know I still think that way about Kyle.”

James sighs, contemplating Carlos’ thoughts for a few seconds as he watches his face intently. Carlos looks down shyly when their gazes meet and James chuckles quietly.

“Still not over it, huh?”

“Over what?” Carlos asks, frowning.

James shakes his head and smiles. “You’re still not over that thing where you can’t look me directly in the eye without turning into a little schoolgirl.”

“W-w-what?! No I don't,” Carlos replies, crossing his arms defensively and trying his best to maintain his composure.

James lowers his gaze to try to meet Carlos’, but he looks away. “Yes, you do. You’re doing it right now.”

“It’s just. You intimidate me sometimes, that’s all,” Carlos says, still looking away from James as he speaks.

“You sure that’s all?”

“Yes!” Carlos shouts, turning to face James and glaring at him.

James puts his hands up in defeat and takes a step back. “Okay, okay. I was just kidding, take it easy.”

“I am taking it easy, you’re just a jerk,” Carlos says, punching James lightly on the arm.

“Hey!” James yells and punches him back playfully.

Carlos rubs the sore spot on his arm, stifling his laughter as he struggles to maintain an angry look and James notices, causing the both of them to erupt in a fit of giggles. Once their laughter subsides and they wipe the tears from their eyes, they stand in silence and look out onto the city. James remembers what Carlos said to him on his apartment balcony a few weeks ago and he watches him as he breathes deeply, admiring the lights and sounds from afar. Carlos turns to look at James and sighs before turning to face him, leaning in close as James leans the other way.

“Best friend quiz,” Carlos whispers and James looks at him in confusion.

“What?”

Carlos rolls his eyes and backs away from him. “I ask you questions about me and then you try to answer them as best as you can. Then you ask _me_ questions about yourself and I try to answer them. Whoever wins is the better best friend.”

“Hey, that’s not fair! You’ll totally win,” James says.

“We’ll never know ‘til we try,” Carlos says with a shrug and James puts out a hand to shake his.

“Try me.”

Carlos looks up in thought, planning a question he thinks will stump James. “Okay. What is my middle name?”

James shrugs. “That’s easy. Daniel.”

“ _En español_ , please,” Carlos replies, holding up a finger.

“Dah-nyel,” James says with his best Spanish accent and Carlos high-fives him in response.

“Good job! Now you ask me.”

James smirks as he thinks up a potentially difficult question. “Okay. What’s _my_ middle name?”

“Edward. Like your dad,” Carlos answers confidently and James makes a buzzing noise.

“Wrong! It’s Ed _win_. Like my grandfather.”

Carlos sticks his tongue out and pouts. “I was only off by like three letters.”

“Ah, but it’s still wrong. I win!” James exclaims, and Carlos crosses his arms in defeat and jealousy. “But, you’re still the better friend.”

“I graciously accept that title,” Carlos says, bowing as James places an imaginary crown on his head. They walk back toward the park after crossing the bridge, silently taking in each other’s company and the sounds around them.

“You know. I’m kind of jealous,” James says when they stop in front of the lake. “I’ve always been terrified of what my dad might say if he found out I’m also attracted to men. I wish I could be like you, you know? Out. Proud. Have support from everyone. Sometimes I just want to stand on my desk and yell at everyone who comes by that I’m bisexual and happy with it. How do you do it?”

“It can be tough sometimes,” Carlos replies, sighing. “Not everyone’s accepting. I kept quiet when I was in school cause everyone picked on me enough as it was. I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened if I was out back then. I was scared of my family’s reaction, too but they were totally supportive. They still are and they’ll never let me forget that. I know your family has its problems but your mom is an amazing woman and she loves you to death. And anyone who tries to fight you about it is gonna have to go through me first.”

James chuckles. “Thanks.  I appreciate that, Carlos. You’re very sweet.”

Carlos feels himself blush, thankful for the darkness covering any trace of red on his face. “Anytime.”

“Listen, I would love to stay out all night but it’s getting late. I still have to walk Chewie and I’m so exhausted just from…everything. But thank you for taking me out. It helped. A lot.” James hugs Carlos tight for a minute and Carlos sighs deeply, closing his eyes and savoring the moment. They remain with their arms wrapped around each other while James calls and they wait for a cab to take each of them to their respective homes.

“Bye, Carlos,” James says as he exits and pays the driver then gives Carlos enough to pay for his ride home. “Love you!”

“Love you, too,” Carlos replies quietly and waves as he watches James walk into his apartment building before the taxi drives off.

 

Carlos quietly opens the front door once he gets home, only to be confronted by Elena, who stands with arms crossed and blocks the stairway.

“Where have you been?” she asks sternly.

“Out,” Carlos replies, trying to get past her.

She shifts her body to block every direction in which Carlos tries to go, interrogating him. “Out doing…?”

“Walking around,” he answers. “Will you please let me upstairs?”

Elena shakes her head, demanding more answers. “With?”

“James,” Carlos replies and huffs angrily.

“You went on a date with James?!” Elena asks and Carlos stops trying to evade her.

“It wasn’t a date, Elena,” he says and tries to push her out of the way, but she blocks him again, spreading her arms so they stretch from the railing to the wall.

“Oh, so now you’re taking him out for romantic moonlit walks?”

“It wasn’t a date! It was a…friendly outing,” Carlos says, running his hands slowly down his face in agony.

Elena stares him down, trying to get him to look in her eyes but he avoids her gaze, choosing instead to roll his eyes repeatedly as he tries to pry her hands away from either side of the steps. “Uh huh. Sure,” Elena says.

“You know what?” he says, finally pulling her away far enough for him to ascend the stairs. “I am way too tired for this right now. I’m going to sleep.”

“Okay, I’m sure James wore you out tonight!” she calls out to him from the bottom of the stairs.

He stops at the top and shouts back. “Good _night,_ Elena!”


End file.
